


Dear, I Fear We're Facing A Problem

by tessafreakingvirtue



Series: The Wedding Date AU [2]
Category: Figure Skating RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Babies, F/M, Fluff, Love, Sequel, Smut, Wedding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:03:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21687883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tessafreakingvirtue/pseuds/tessafreakingvirtue
Summary: The unexpected sequel to Pretend That You Love Me where Tessa and Scott deal with married life and unexpectedly embarrassing situations to distract us all from the mess of reality.
Relationships: Scott Moir & Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir/Tessa Virtue
Series: The Wedding Date AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563382
Comments: 68
Kudos: 192





	1. Tessa and the Chocolate Factory- er, Fountain

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what else to say except I hope this one is as much fun as its predecessor! Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

“I love you, Mrs. Moir.” 

Scott whispered the words against her lips, his warm breath sending goosebumps over her skin. His mouth moved from hers to her chin, placing gentle kisses along the ridge of her jawbone.

“I love you, Mr. Moir.” 

Tessa tilted her head to allow him better access, closing her eyes and whimpering softly as his mouth kissed its way down her neck, pausing when he got to her collarbone to nip gently on the skin. She shrugged her shoulders in an attempt slip the thin strap of her white gown down her shoulder. She needed him so badly; her body craved him in a way she  
couldn’t quite put into words. 

Tessa’s hands moved to his neck, loosening his tie as she pressed open-mouthed kisses against the skin. She heard his breath increase steadily, felt the tremble of his hands as he caught her fingers in an attempt to cease her movements. 

“Tess,” he groaned softly as she began working on the buttons of his shirt, “are you sure this is a good time?” 

“We’re newlyweds, Scott,” she grinned up at him breathlessly, pulling away from his skin only long enough to say the words, “Anytime is a good time.”

“Yeah, I know,” he chuckled softly, “and trust me, there’s nothing I want to do more than fuck your brains out right now, but… shouldn’t we at least wait until the reception is over?” 

Tessa paused in her ministration, blowing out a breath, her green eyes dark with lust. 

“Don’t you think it would be sexy?” She asked, her voice thick with desire. “Wouldn’t you like to fuck your new wife right here in the venue?”

“Tess, trust me, I’d fuck you on a bed of nails if given the chance, but…” he glanced around them, “are you sure this is how you want to remember our first time having sex as a married couple?” He shifted, his hip bumping a mop and sending it crashing to the floor. “We’re in the maintenance closet.” 

“Yeah,” she sighed, pulling away from him only long enough to survey their dim surroundings. “What’s your point?” 

“My point,” he put a hand on her chest, tracing his fingertips over the starkness of her collarbone, “is that as eager as I am to consummate this marriage, I don’t know if I want to do it next to a mop bucket.” 

Tessa pulled back, watching him for a moment before breaking into laughter. 

“Oh, God. Scott, you’re right.” She sighed, glanced around the tiny maintenance closet. “Jesus, I’m sorry. I’ve just missed you so much all day. I took the first opportunity I could get.” 

“I’ve missed you, too,” he nodded, a soft smile slipping over his lips. “And believe me, babe. If it weren’t for the fact that there’s about a hundred of our closest friends and families right outside this door, I’d be beneath that wedding gown so fast that your head would be spinning.” 

Tessa gave him an incredulous look, narrowing her eyes at him. 

“Oh yeah? You're suddenly Mr. Modest?” She lowered her voice, tilted her head at him with a wistful smile. “Is that why we definitely _didn’t_ have sex in my childhood bedroom during my mom’s Christmas Eve party last year?” 

Scott wet his lips, grinning. 

“Touché. All right, you got me.” His hands fell upon her slender hips. “I really don’t want to get a hard-on every time I smell disinfectant.” 

They laughed together, Tessa resting a hand on his chest.

“Fair enough. That would make spring cleaning a lot more interesting, though.” She smirked at him, and he leaned in, kissing her softly. “We should probably get back out there, eh?”

He sighed contentedly, pressed another kiss against the delicate skin of her neck. 

“I mean, I don’t think they’ll miss us for another minute or so.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “Maybe we shouldn’t go for a home run, but… what do you think about second base?” 

Tessa giggled, taking his hand. She linked her fingers with his, the pads of their fingertips pressing together. 

“What, you’re not afraid of the mop seeing you grope me?” She teased gently. He watched her with adoring eyes, the slightest smile playing upon his lips. She heaved a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes playfully as she curled her fingers around his. 

Shifting slightly, she slid his hand beneath the neckline of her dress, watching his face with devilish glee as she felt his warm fingers mold around the roundness of her breast. They both sighed in breathless pleasure, his thumb seeking out her nipple and tracing tiny circles over it until it peaked in his fingers. 

The erotic feel of his touch against such an erogenous area made her lower belly tingle, and she felt her knees tremble as he leaned in, pressing open-mouthed kisses against her neck. 

“Scott,” she sighed his name softly, “You said no home run. And you’re about to hit it out of the park.” 

He chuckled softly, tweaked her nipple once more before reluctantly pulling his hand from her dress and using his thumb to wipe at her smudged lipstick. 

“Sorry, T. Are you ready to go back to our adoring public?” He smirked at her. 

“Absolutely anything to get this thing over with so I can get you home and in bed,” she whispered. 

She slid her fingers into his grasp and they emerged from the closet, Tessa ducking her head and blushing as they brushed past a group of Scott’s friends who shot them knowing looks. 

They made their way through the crowds of people who had gathered to celebrate their wedding. There were hugs and handshakes, smiles and wishes of good luck from family members and friends. Tessa skirted through the tables, glancing back at Scott as he paused to speak to a friend. When she spotted Jordan and Charlie, she squealed and broke into a brisk pace, hugging her older sister tightly. 

“Oh my God,” Jordan gushed, “the wedding was so beautiful. I mean, I know I was there for all the planning, but seeing it all put together like that…” she sighed dreamily, turning as Charlie approached them, Samantha in his arms. 

“Really beautiful,” Charlie agreed, shifting the squirming toddler into Jordan’s arms. She grinned and reached for her mother, chubby arms outstretched. 

“There’s my girl!” Jordan cooed, settling her daughter on her hip. “Doesn’t Aunt Tessa look like a princess?” 

Sam glanced toward Tessa, her green eyes alight with joy. Tessa grinned at her, reaching out to stroke her light brown hair. 

“The only princess here is this little one,” Tessa took Sam’s tiny hand, shook it playfully. Sam clutched at Jordan’s dress before leaning toward Tessa, fingers outstretched. 

Tessa laughed, taking her into her arms and bouncing her on her hip. Sam grinned, giggled joyously at the movement. 

“We’re gonna take a little walk,” Tessa turned, threw the words over her shoulder as she moved away from Jordan and Charlie. “We’ll be back!” 

Sam made a soft noise, tiny finger pointing at a chocolate fountain that bubbled on a buffet table draped in white cloth.

“Oh,” Tessa grinned, moving her niece toward the fountain. “You’re a chocolate lover too, eh, Sam? We share more than just a name, then.” Tessa rocked on her feet, Sam’s eyes watching as the liquid chocolate spilled from one layer to another, pooling in a wide bowl at the bottom. 

“Yummm,” Sam licked her lips, reaching for the fountain. Tessa laughed, moved a few steps closer. 

“You want a taste?” She wondered, glancing at her niece’s face. 

“Yes,” Sam nodded fervently, “taste.”

“Okay,” Tessa used her left hand to reach for a strawberry, her eye catching on the silver wedding band on her finger, just above the glistening engagement ring Scott had given to her nearly eighteen months ago. The wedding band was half a size too large, made that way only because she’d spent the past year-and-a-half working part-time as a barre instructor in an attempt to save money and get into the best shape of her life. Scott had looked somewhat dismayed as he’d slipped the ring onto her finger just a few hours ago at the ceremony, the corners of his lips turning down when it slid easily to the crease of her knuckle. 

“We’ll get it resized,” he promised her, as they’d taken their wedding photos, his lips brushing her ear. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry,” she’d shaken her head, “It’s beautiful. I should have realized when the engagement ring was too big.”

Now, as she dipped the tip of the strawberry into the melted chocolate, she watched the ring slide to her knuckle once more. Sam bounced excitedly on her hip, mouth already opening and closing in anticipation of the treat. 

Tessa laughed, carefully brought the chocolate-covered strawberry to her niece’s lips, moving it out of her reach as the toddler attempted to shove the entire thing into her mouth. 

“Careful,” she advised her, Sam’s eyebrows wrinkling as she leaned in, chocolate coating her lips and the tip of her nose as she took a bite. “Your mommy will kill me if I get chocolate on your dress. Although, to be fair, Sam, I have every intention of sticking my face in this fountain as soon as no one’s looking.” 

Sam giggled, her tiny teeth bared in a grin as she chewed, fingers opening and closing in excitement. 

“Bite,” she pleaded, and Tessa obliged her, smiling as the toddler chewed. Tessa popped the rest of the strawberry, sans the leaves, in her mouth before Sam could swallow and the little girl’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“Sorry,” Tessa apologized, “you made it look so good. What do you think about a marshmallow?” 

“Mallow,” Sam nodded, tiny fingers curling at the neckline of Tessa’s dress. “Mallow!”

“Okay, okay,” Tessa hushed her, “give me a sec.” 

Tessa pinched a marshmallow between her index finger and thumb, lifted it to the edge of the chocolate fountain. Her ring finger lifted in the air to avoid the chocolate stream, the ring slid once more, and before she could do anything to stop it, the band had slid from her finger, plopping silently into the brown liquid in the base of the fountain. 

Tessa froze, glancing desperately at her finger and then the pool of chocolate before spreading her fingers, the forgotten marshmallow sinking to the bottom of the fountain as well. 

“Uh oh,” Sam turned, studying Tessa’s face. “Uh oh.” 

“Yeah,” Tessa agreed, sucking a breath in. “Uh oh.” 

She stood motionless, uncertain what to do. Sam watched the fountain, glanced once more at Tessa’s stricken face, before turning back to the table. 

“Mallow.” 

“No, no,” Tessa whispered, “no mallow. Aunt Tessa has to-”

“Mama!” Sam cried joyously, kicking her tiny feet in excitement. 

“Yeah, Sam, I think we better-”

“What’s wrong?” Jordan was beside her suddenly, taking Sam from her arms and shifting her away from the dessert table. 

“Uh,” Tessa glanced at her naked finger, then back up at her sister. “Uh, I…” 

“What?” Jordan asked, her green eyes growing wide. “What happened?” 

“I, uh…” Tessa glanced toward the fountain once more, suddenly unable to find the words. Panicked, she held up her hand, waggling her ring finger for Jordan to see. “It was loose.” 

Jordan’s eyes bulged, her hand moving to cover her mouth with a gasp. 

“Oh, shit, Tess! You…” she let her eyes move toward the fountain, speaking slowly, “is it in there?”

Tessa nodded speechlessly. 

“Okay,” Jordan said after she’d stared at the fountain for a moment, glancing around them conspiratorially. “Here.” She handed Sam back to Tessa, the toddler surveying them both with a curious gaze. “Cover me. I’m going in.” 

“Jordan!” Tessa hissed, “You can’t-”

But she already was, her slender hand dipping into the warm, gooey liquid, her face contorting in distaste as she submerged her fingers and then her wrist. Tessa watched, holding her breath, as Jordan skimmed her fingers along the bottom of the fountain. Sam watched, her tiny hands clapping quietly at the sight. 

It was a long moment and felt like a lifetime before Jordan’s hand emerged, gripping two chocolate covered items, one of them obviously Tessa’s wedding band, the other a lump of melted goo. Both Tessa and Sam gasped, Tessa’s hand reaching out quickly to collect the ring from Jordan’s fingers. Sam reached out as well, her eyes wide with excitement. 

“Mallow!” 

Jordan’s fingers dripped with chocolate, a wedding guest meeting her eyes before purposely moving to avoid her. 

“We need to unplug it,” Tessa said softly, signaling to the caterer as she caught his eye. He moved quickly beneath the table, and the chocolate stopped flowing just as Tessa and Jordan dashed off to the washroom. 

Tessa caught Scott’s eye along the way, his eyebrow raising in silent question as she shrugged, racing past him. 

They laughed as they rinsed their fingers and wiped Sam’s mouth, who whined and continued to express her unhappiness with the loss of her marshmallow. Jordan wrapped Tessa in a tight hug, expressed that she needed to get back to the table to prepare for her speech, and left her younger sister in the washroom alone. 

Tessa studied her reflection in the mirror after she’d cleaned the chocolate remnants from her ring, laughing softly at her own stupidity. She slid the ring back onto her finger, clutching them into a fist to ensure its safety. As she moved to leave the washroom herself, the door opened. She pressed herself out of the way but Scott’s face greeted her, a gentle smile pressing across his lips. 

“Scott,” she sighed his name, “what are you doing in here?” 

“Checking on you,” he said easily, grinning. “I saw you and Jordan come in here together, and I know that trouble seems to follow you two around. Everything okay?” 

Tessa let out a breath, smiling sheepishly. 

“Yeah. Everything’s fine, I just…” she glanced at her ring, all evidence of its plunge erased. She considered not telling him, allowing this to be a charming little anecdote she might one day reveal at their fiftieth anniversary party, but it felt like a betrayal. “I dropped my ring. Into the chocolate fountain.” 

His eyes grew wide, darted to the silver band on her hand. 

“Jordan fished it out for me,” she explained, “it’s okay. The ring is good as new. The chocolate, on the other hand…” 

He blinked, and she worried for a moment that he might be upset, but he broke into easy laughter. 

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry. I know how excited you were about that chocolate fountain.” He stepped closer to her, tenderly lifted her chin with his finger, encouraging her to meet his eyes. “Tell you what. When we get back from our honeymoon, I’ll buy you a new chocolate fountain. It can be a permanent fixture in our kitchen.” 

Tessa blushed, pressed her lips together in a smile. 

“You’d do that for me?” 

“Tess, I’d do anything for you.” He leaned into her, pressed a kiss to her pink lips. She closed her eyes, sank into the kiss. Her eyes fluttered open a moment later, her lips stretching into a pout. “What is it?” 

“It’s just…” she sighed, “I hate to think about all that chocolate going to waste. I only got one little taste.” 

“Oh.” Scott blinked, then shrugged. “Well maybe it doesn’t have to go to waste.” 

“What do you mean?” She eyed him. 

“I mean,” he breathed against her skin, “I don’t even think you could eat eight pounds of chocolate, but I can definitely think of a few ways to make use of some of it.” 

Tessa laughed softly, her green eyes reflecting up at him. 

“Scott Moir,” she chastised him playfully, “are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” 

“Well, I don’t know,” he grinned at her, “do you think I’m suggesting that I could lick that chocolate off various body parts of my new wife?” 

“That’s what I hoped you were suggesting,” she pressed herself against him, giggling. “I married a genius.” 

“Not a genius,” Scott shook his head, “just a fool who’s madly in love with you.”


	2. Tessa and Scott Play House

“Okay, so I packed some snacks she likes and her favorite cup. There are two pacifiers in her diaper bag in case she loses one, but she hasn’t really been interested in them lately, which is good because I’ve been concerned about what they might do to her teeth.” Jordan spoke quickly, pausing only briefly for a shallow breath. “I packed some books and toys and the blanket she sleeps with every night.” Jordan pulled the tattered pink blanket from the bag and Sam’s eyes light up. 

“Banky!” She grabbed for the blanket and Jordan passed it into her arms. Sam gripped the blanket in her arms, nuzzling her cheek against it happily.

“Jordan,” Tessa laughed softly, “you know we’re not adopting Sam, right? She’s only staying over one night.” 

“Do you know the number for the poison center’s hotline?” Jordan asked, ignoring her sister’s protests.

Tessa looked up and into her older sister’s wide, worried eyes. 

“Uh,” she hesitated, glancing at Scott, “not off the top of my head.”

“Okay,” Jordan sighed, whipped her cell phone from her purse. Her fingers flew over the touchscreen before she grabbed for a pen and a pad of paper, scribbling the number on the first page before she slid it across the kitchen island to her. “I wrote it down for you. Don’t hesitate to call them if she puts anything in her mouth, okay? She’s quick, and she hides if she thinks she’s done something wrong. Make sure she stays out of the laundry room and doesn’t get into the cabinets within her reach.” 

Tessa’s eyes narrowed and she rolled her eyes at her sister before turning to Scott. 

“Damn. Scott, go get the Tide pods out of her pack and play.” She turned to Jordan, shrugging helplessly and lowering her voice to a playful whisper. “We thought they were candy.” 

Scott laughed alongside her, Jordan clutching Sam closer to her as the toddler squirmed to be put down. Even Charlie smirked behind her, shaking his head softly. 

“She’s had a little bit of a cold,” Jordan worried aloud, “it seems to be getting better, but she still has some congestion. She hasn’t had a fever, but I packed some baby Tylenol just in case. If you need to give it to her, you can use the little bulb to give her 3.75 milliliters. Sometimes she coughs, and if that-”

“Jordan,” Tessa breathed her name, placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ve taken care of Sam before. Believe it or not, I’m not completely inept around kids. She’s going to be fine. Don’t you trust me?” 

“Of course I trust you,” Jordan’s shoulders sagged, as she nuzzled her cheek against her daughter’s head. Sam giggled and reached for her mother’s cheeks, pushing them together playfully. “But I’ve never spent the night away from her, and I just…” Jordan turned, glancing back at Charlie. “Maybe we should cancel tonight.” 

Tessa scoffed, leaned in and took Sam from her arms. The toddler squealed in delight as she gripped Tessa’s arms, laughing. 

“Tee Tee,” Sam said Tessa’s name, stroking the long, dark hair that draped Tessa’s shoulder. 

“Yeah,” Tessa smiled down at her, shifted her on her hip. “See, Jord? Tee Tee. She’s fine. You guys have been planning this night for months. It’s a big deal, this awards ceremony. You’re being presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. You can’t just cancel. The event is two hours away and you’ll see her tomorrow afternoon.” Tessa bounced Sam, “Mom lives ten minutes away. You know she’ll be here in a second if we need anything.” 

Jordan opened her mouth to protest, but Charlie had already slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her in for a soft hug. 

“Sweetheart,” he pressed a kiss upon her shoulder, “if we don’t get on the road soon we’re going to miss our dinner reservation before the event.” Charlie moved closer to Sam, reached out to take one of her tiny hands before kissing her cheek. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Sam. Dada and Mama love you so much. You be a good girl for Aunt Tessa and Uncle Scott, eh?” 

Sam watched her father with wide green eyes, dimples pressing into her cheeks as she smiled. 

“Bye-bye, Dada,” she waved her tiny hand, Tessa’s eyes moving to study Jordan’s tense face. Her green eyes were wet with tears, lips pressed together in an attempt to contain her emotion. Tessa sighed, empathy surging within her as Jordan reached for Sam again, shifting into her arms. 

“Mama loves you, Sammy. I’m going to miss you so much.” Jordan leaned in, rested her nose gently against her daughter’s, nuzzling her lovingly. “Be good. I’ll see you soon, okay?” 

Sam watched her mother seriously. 

“Mama,” she said softly, nuzzling into her mother’s chest. Jordan hugged her close, rubbed her back. A singular tear slid down Jordan’s cheek and she moved quickly to wipe it away, sniffling. Sam sat up in her arms, frowning. “Mama cry.”

“I’m okay, baby. I promise. I’m just going to miss you.” She pressed another kiss to Sam’s head before allowing Tessa to take her back. 

Tessa slid an arm around Jordan, hugging her tight. 

“Enjoy yourselves tonight. Have fun and try not to worry! Everything’s going to be totally fine, okay?” Tessa stroked Sam’s head. “You’ve spent the past year-and-a-half completely dedicating yourself to being a mom. Go to the awards show and then spend some well-deserved time alone in your hotel room.” 

“Yeah,” Jordan nodded, “you’re right. Okay, I’m going, I’m going.” 

Jordan glanced toward Charlie, who smiled at her before taking her hand. Jordan sighed, turned to look back at Sam, who was watching her with unblinking eyes. She blew her daughter a kiss, waved, and then allowed Charlie to lead her out the front door. 

Tessa glanced at Scott, followed them to the way window, clutching Sam on her hip as they watched Jordan and Charlie climb into their car. 

“Mama,” Sam said softly, her tiny voice a soft whine. “Mama bye-bye.”

“Yeah, Mama’s going bye-bye,” Tessa responded, her voice soft. “Just for a couple of days. We’re going to have fun, though. Me, you, and Uncle Scott.”

Sam blinked, her eyes suddenly wet. She turned to Tessa, her lower lip protruding slightly. 

“Cott?” She asked softly. Tessa smiled at her, nodded. 

“Yep, Scott.” She turned, caught his eye as he stood in the family room, watching. “See, there he is.” 

Sam twisted her body, grinned as she met Scott’s eyes.

“Hey, Sam,” Scott smiled at her, moving closer to them. “Do you wanna go to the park?” 

“Park!” Sam kicked her legs happily, clapping her tiny hands. 

It was almost surreal, playing house like this. The park, dinner, bath time and bedtime. It went so smoothly, so effortlessly, that she dared to allow herself to think about what it might be like when she and Scott had children of their own. A little boy and a little girl that shared their features, would snuggle up in bed between them and call them mommy and daddy. 

Little ones who would celebrate every day with the unaffected joy of being a child, who would find happiness in tiny things. Children who would giggle and want hugs and kisses and, okay, maybe it was an idealized representation of parenthood, but as Tessa tucked Sam into her pack and play that evening before slipping into bed beside Scott, it felt doable. It felt like something she could do easily, raise a child with the support of her husband and best friend. 

Tessa switched on the baby monitor, placing it on her night table beside the bed. She listened for a moment, focused on Sam’s soft breathing before turning to Scott. 

“I think we did it,” she grinned at him, the feeling of pride rising in her chest. “Our first night with a baby was a total success.” 

He smiled, watching her. 

“You were a natural today,” he admitted, sliding between the sheets with her. “She’s so cute. Watching you run around with her at the park, listening to the way you speak to her. You guys have a really special relationship.”

Tessa settled against the headboard of their bed, keeping his gaze. 

“It’s kind of fun, you know?” Tessa shrugged, smiling softly. “Seeing how excited she gets over everything. Watching her play and teaching her things.” She was quiet for a moment. “Do you think that’s what parenting is like all the time?” 

Scott laughed, took her hand. 

“No, Tess. Kids are little people. They have their own opinions and feelings. They don’t always cooperate and they don’t care how inconvenient that is for you.” 

At the somewhat disappointed look on her face, he continued. 

“But… I imagine that those moments of excitement, and that love that you feel for your kids, that probably outweighs all the bad stuff, you know? That’s what gets you through.” His thumb traced the back of her hand. “And I know Jordan’s going to be so proud of you when she sees how much fun Sam’s had.” 

Tessa smiled, turned to rest her head on his chest. Her fingers traced over the muscles beneath his t-shirt, fingernails scratching gently at the fabric. His arm moved to hold her closer to him, his fingers gently rubbing her arm. 

They sat in comfortable silence, listening to Sam’s steady breathing. Tessa peered up at him, grinning. 

“She’s asleep,” she whispered, “that was quick.” 

“Mmhmm,” Scott agreed softly, lifting his chin to gaze at her when she arched an eyebrow at him. 

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She wondered, her voice growing husky in the dim light of their bedroom. 

“Well that depends,” Scott shifted, his lips curling into a smile. “What are you thinking?” 

“I’m thinking…” she allowed her fingers to trace down his chest, slip beneath his shirt, hesitating at the waistline of his lounge pants. “I’m thinking that I’ve spent most of the day playing with Sam and I’m ready to play with someone else.” 

He groaned, chuckling softly as he arched his spine. 

“God, Tess…” his hand moved to her hip, tracing the curve beneath her sleep shirt. “I want to, but… are you sure we should? She’s just in the bedroom next to us. What if we wake her?”

“So, what?” Tessa asked, voice dripping with lust. “Once we have kids, that’s it? No more sex life?” 

“Well, no,” he shook his head, “that’s different, I guess. I just… we should be listening for her, right?” 

Tessa gestured to the baby monitor beside them. 

“We’re listening. That’s what the monitor is for. She’s out, Scott. I want you. I really, really want you.” 

He glanced toward the monitor before looking back to Tessa and wetting his lips. He moved slowly, leaning in and catching her lips in a kiss that drew a quiet moan from her. His hand moved from her hip to the base of her neck, fingertips tracing the dip in her collarbone. Tessa shuddered beneath his touch, sliding onto his lap. 

She steadied herself with one hand on his shoulder, used the other to card her fingers through his dark hair as he tilted his head to kiss her jaw. She shifted on him, grinded her hips against his groin and smirked against his lips as he immediately began to respond. 

They’d been married for a little over a month, had spent half of that time in Europe on their honeymoon. They’d made their way around several different countries including France, Spain, and Belgium. They’d kissed beneath the Eiffel tower, Tessa giggling as Scott held her close. They’d shopped in Antwerp, smiling faces pressed close together as they’d posed for selfies. They’d sunbathed on the beach in Spain, sneaking in a little (or a lot) of PDA whenever the opportunity arose. 

Their honeymoon had been a dream come true, day after day of sunshine and happiness. On the two days the weather had been inhospitable, they’d stayed in their hotel room, making love, sleeping, and ordering room service in a delicious cycle. 

Those weeks of worry-free travel had been amazing, each moment seized by nothing more than desire and pleasure. They had been impulsive, going where they wanted when they wanted and never needing to worry about more than making dinner reservations or a train to their next destination. 

Since they’d returned home, however, their relationship had become something else. It had become more mature, stable. Their daily stresses, things like waking up for work and making dinner, seemed to bring them closer together. Kissing him goodbye each morning and greeting him after work each afternoon was somehow better than that sun-kissed beach in Spain. Falling asleep beside him in their humble bed was more blissful than waking up in the most luxurious hotel in Europe.

Tessa had found a new passion with her job; she’d realized, when they’d returned from that cottage in Toronto eighteen months ago, that she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life in a job that didn’t inspire or excite her. After some soul-searching and Scott’s endless support, she’d managed to find a position with a business firm where she was able to negotiate deals with clients. She left the office each day feeling validated and powerful, and that was all she could ask for in a career. 

As for Scott, he’d seemed to adjust to the life of a non-escort with little to no difficulty. He’d taken some time to dedicate himself to his family’s skate shop, Jordan and Charlie coming on board to support the small business. Their attention and dedication to the shop had brought in numerous new clients, enough that they’d opened a second location approximately thirty minutes outside Toronto. 

When Scott had expressed coaching, Tessa had assumed he’d set his sights on working with hockey teams who had a laser focus on competition, who would eventually move onto Olympic training. When he had come to her house one afternoon, however, grinning and breathless with excitement, he’d barely been able to contain his good news: he’d gotten a volunteer position working with under-privileged inner-city kids who were interested in playing hockey but had never had the chance. He’d pulled together a rag-tag group of children and spent several hours each week working with them, endlessly patient. 

Tessa had gone many times, to watch him at work. But she realized, as she’d perched in the stands and studied the way he interacted with the kids, that this wasn’t work for him. This was pleasure. This was Scott, dedicating himself to a cause that he cared deeply about, and a group of kids that had stolen his heart with their gumption and unwavering enthusiasm for the sport. 

But that was neither here nor there right now, as Tessa rocked on his lap. All she cared about right now was the fact that he was already growing hard beneath her, wondering if he could feel her wet heat through her cotton panties. From the way his hand gripped at her hips, guiding her over the growing bulge between his legs, she assumed he could. She lifted her shirt, threw it unworriedly onto the floor, Scott inhaling softly at the sight of her breasts. 

“Fuck Tess,” he whispered the words against her skin, nipping at the tender flesh of her neck. Tessa grinned, threw her head back as she bucked her hips against him. 

“That’s the plan, babe,” she giggled huskily, reaching down to tug his shirt up. He allowed her to pull it over his head, tossing it onto the floor beside them as she scraped her nails gently down his chest. 

Over the past twenty-seven months since they’d met, they’d discovered small idiosyncrasies about the other, both in and out of the bedroom. She’d come to realize that Scott craved a tiny bit of pain with his pleasure, would often hiss with contentment when she scraped her teeth against the sensitive skin of his erection during oral sex, or when her fingernails went just a bit too deep in his soft flesh. The satisfied sounds drove her crazy, wetness flooding between her thighs as she watched his face contort in pleasure. 

Tessa lifted herself on her knees, her thighs trembling as she reached into his lounge pants and found his stiffening cock. Her fingers grasped it, squeezing and stroking as she teased him. She still wore her panties, and he pushed them to the side desperately, his fingers stroking her wet folds. She pressed the head of his cock to her entrance, grinned seductively at him as she allowed herself to sink onto him. 

They both groaned in pleasure as he filled her, his cock parting her folds as he slid inside. She lowered herself fully onto him, their skin flush against one another. Both of her hands found his shoulders and she clutched him, shuddering as she raised herself, feeling the way the head of his cock dragged along her inner walls. 

“Fuck,” she whispered, “Scott, you-”

A sound rippled from the baby monitor, both of them freezing. It was a soft whimper followed by a wet cough, and Tessa waited, feeling Scott’s length inside her, as a rustling noise indicated Sam turning over in her sleep. After a few long seconds, her steady breathing resumed and Tessa let out a whine of pleasure. 

Scott’s hands found her hips, gripping her as she rose and fell on him. He began to guide her, and though she needed no help, she loved the feeling of his fingertips digging into the skin as he fucked into her, breathless and desperate. 

The pace of their rhythm increased, their breath growing unsteady as they both began to pant in ecstasy. Tessa worked her hips against him, taking him so deeply inside her that he let out something akin to a whimper. She grinned, rolled her hips again, slower this time, dragging out the pleasure. 

“Tessa,” he gasped, “You’re gonna-”

Another sound from the baby monitor, and Tessa paused in her actions, panting. A thin sheen of sweat had formed on her chest and forehead, her nipples as hard as pebbles.

Scott thrust once more into her helplessly, desperately, but she steadied him by placing a hand on his chest. 

“Wait,” she whispered, listening as Sam whined softly on the baby monitor before coughing again. Scott made a soft noise of displeasure and she shot him a sympathetic look. There was another whimper and then a rustle followed by a few long seconds of silence. “Okay,” she breathed after a moment, “I think we’re good. Go-”

A piercing shriek rang out over the baby monitor, loud enough to cause Tessa to startle and slip from Scott’s lap immediately. Sam began to wail, heaving sobs leaving her breathless. Tessa heard his voice begging her to wait just another minute, she might calm down, but Tessa was already tugging on her t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She barely had time to whisper an apology to him before she rushed out of their bedroom and to the guest room where Sam’s pack and play was located. 

She pushed the door open, careful to slow herself so as not to panic the baby. When she entered the room, Sam was standing in the pack and play, gripping the sides. Her sobbing had only grown in volume and intensity, and when Tessa moved toward the enclosure, Sam reached for her. 

“Mama,” she sobbed, her fingers grasping desperately for Tessa. Tessa plucked her from the pack and play, already attempting to pacify her. Sam’s breath sounded wet and raspy in her chest as she cried. 

“Mama’s not here, baby, it’s-” At the feel of the heat radiating from her niece, Tessa gasped. Even through her thin pajamas, she could feel the warmth of her skin. “Oh my God, Sam, what’s wrong?” 

Instinctively, and though she knew next to nothing about medical care, she pressed her palm to Sam’s forehead. The skin was hot to the touch, and immediately Tessa thought back to Jordan’s words this afternoon. She’d been sick, Jordan had said, but she hadn’t had a fever. But she’d packed Tylenol just in case, that much she remembered. 

“Ma-” Sam whimpered, rubbing at her eyes before peering at Tessa in the dim light. Upon realization that Jordan wasn’t holding her, Sam began to cry again. 

“Shh,” Tessa hugged her to her chest, bounced her gently. “Shh, baby. It’s Tee Tee. It’s your Tee Tee.”

Sam sniffled, blinked, her vision undoubtedly blurred by her tears. Hesitantly, she spoke. 

“Tee Tee.” 

“That’s right, baby.” Tessa brushed her damp hair back, hurried to Sam’s diaper bag on the bed. Supporting her with one arm, she dug through the bag, sighing in relief when she located the small bottle of children’s Tylenol as well as a forehead thermometer. Grasping both items with one hand, she had to readjust Sam, attempting to put her on the bed in order to take the infant’s temperature. 

Sam whined, sobbed, and grasped at the neck of Tessa’s shirt. 

“I know,” Tessa soothed her, “but I have to put you down so I can take your temperature, okay?” 

Her pleas didn’t resonate with Sam, and the infant continued to cling to her, clammy skin pressed against Tessa’s. 

“Scott?” Tessa called for him. She was hysterical and growing more upset each moment, and all Tessa could think of was needing to make her stop. She couldn’t concentrate with those shrill screams, couldn’t remember the dosage Jordan had instructed (had she even said? She’d been so overwhelmed by all of the directions) and shouldn’t she take her temperature before giving her the medicine? 

There had to be something in the bag to help keep her quiet, she reasoned, as she dipped her hand back into the backpack. Her finger brushed something small, round, rubbery, and as she withdrew it, she sighed in relief. The pacifier. Thank God Jordan was an over-packer. 

“Okay,” Tessa cooed, offering the pacifier to Sam. “Here we go. You want this?” 

Sam shuddered, her chubby fingers reaching out to take the pacifier and slip it between her lips. She continued to whimper and sniffle, but the cries quieted enough for Tessa to settle her on the bed, climbing onto the mattress beside her. 

She fiddled with the thermometer for a moment, quickly understood that it consisted of nothing more than a quick swipe along the infant’s temple. She held her breath for the second it took, gasping when the digital screen returned a reading of 38.9 degrees Celsius. 

Was that bad for a baby? It seemed bad, and Sam’s skin felt like the sunburn Tessa had gotten after their lazy day on the beach in Spain. Abandoning the thermometer on the bed, Tessa grabbed Sam and the bottle of Tylenol and hurried out of the room. 

She met Scott in the hallway on the way back to their bedroom, his face drawn up in concern. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his hands flying out in a desperate attempt to do anything to help her. “Is she okay?” 

“No, she’s not okay,” Tessa pushed past him and into the bedroom, snatching her phone up from the side table and immediately dialing Jordan’s number. She waited with baited breath as the phone rang, anticipating the sound of Jordan’s voice. After five rings, it switched to Jordan’s automated voicemail. Tessa cursed in frustration, shifted Sam in her arms and tried again. It rang and rang, switched to voicemail. 

“What can I do?” Scott asked, following her into the bedroom. “Do you want me to hold her?” 

“Yeah,” Tessa sighed, attempting to slide Sam into his arms so that she could send Jordan a text message. Sam whimpered beneath her pacifier, clung to Tessa. Tessa met her eyes, large and green, her face looking so much like Jordan’s, and she pulled Sam tighter to her chest. “Actually, can you text Jordan instead?”

“Yeah, babe, of course,” Scott took the phone from her, fingers beginning quickly to move across the touchscreen. “What should I say?” 

“Just tell her that Sam has a fever, that she won’t stop crying.” She suddenly thought of her older sister’s panicked face, the fear that would undoubtedly paralyze her once she realized her daughter was sick. “Try not to make it sound urgent, just that we’re letting her know.” 

Honestly, she wanted nothing more than for Jordan to appear this instant, take Sam into her arms and comfort her as only a mother could. She would have given anything for her own mother to be here right now, for that matter, and-

“My mom,” Tessa breathed, “I need to call my mom, she’ll know what to do.” 

“On it,” Scott nodded, already scrolling through Tessa’s contacts and tapping her profile photo. He held the phone to his ear, waiting as it rang, and Tessa watched him, fascinated. Despite the fact that she’d literally interrupted their love-making right before his climax, despite the fact that Sam was still howling loud enough to surely disrupt any phone call or peace of mind, he remained calmed, composed. 

Not for the first time since she’d picked him from that list of online escorts, she thanked her lucky stars for him. 

Scott touched the screen of the phone, causing the ringtone to echo through the room. They waited for a few seconds, Kate’s sleep-laced voice finally greeting them. 

“Tess? What’s wrong?” 

“Kate,” Scott addressed her calmly as Tessa wrestled with the bottle of Tylenol, still holding Sam in her arms. “It’s Scott. We’re keeping Sam overnight and we think she’s sick. She’s pretty warm and has a cough. Tessa wants to know what she should do.” 

Tessa met Scott’s eyes, giving him an appreciative smile. Despite the chaos of the moment, she was so deeply appreciative of him. 

“Oh, poor Sam,” Kate clucked her tongue. “Okay. First, tell Tess not to panic.” 

Scott looked up once more and met Tessa’s eyes before looking back to the phone. 

“Too late.” 

Kate began to talk them through the situation, Tessa gripping the bottle of children’s Tylenol and using the bulb inside to suck out the correct dosage. It was a fight to get Sam to swallow the medicine, her tiny body flopping around like a fish out of water as Tessa pressed the syringe between her lips. The child let out a disparaging wail as she choked down the medicine before grabbing once more for her pacifier and plopping it into her mouth. 

Tylenol for the fever, Kate had instructed. Steam for the congestion. Tessa stripped Sam to her diaper, carried her into the ensuite and turned on the steam shower, closing the door behind them as she held Sam to her chest. She could hear the baby’s unsteady breaths, the rattle in her chest each time she sniffled or sobbed. Tessa stroked her back, brushed her damp hair from her face. 

Sitting on the closed toilet lid with Sam on her lap, Tessa began to rock her gently, clutching her niece close. Sam’s tiny fingers held onto her, a soft whimper emanating from her every few minutes. The baby’s pathetic sounds caused Tessa’s heard to clench, and she tried to think of something, anything that would help soothe her. 

Absurdly, she thought of the only children’s song she was absolutely certain she knew the words to and quietly began to sing. 

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” Tessa’s voice cracked softly as she sang, and she winced. There was no way this would help calm Sam, not with her discordant tone, but she continued despite her hesitations. “How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so-”

“High,” Sam mumbled the word behind her pacifier, and Tessa broke into a grin, patting her leg in assurance. 

“Like a diamond in the…”

“Ky,” Sam whispered. 

“Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.” Tessa giggled, stroking Sam’s book. “You did such a good job, Sam! You’re so smart!” 

Sam shifted in her lap, her tiny face turning up to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed, droplets of perspiration beginning to appear on her face. 

From behind her pacifier, Sam mumbled Tessa’s name, settling back against her chest. Tessa hugged her close, continued to rock her and soothe her until Sam’s body began to go limp in her arms. Pulling her back to observe her, she listened, holding her breath as she waited to hear the rattle in Sam’s chest. When a few moments passed by without the helpless sound, Tessa stood, carried Sam out of the washroom and into the master bedroom. 

Scott was perched on the edge of the bed, standing as they entered the room. 

“How’s she doing?” He asked, worry marking his features. Tessa smiled up at him tightly.   
“She’s asleep,” she responded, “she’s sweating, so I think the fever broke, but I want to be sure.” Repositioning Sam in her arms, Scott watched as Tessa traced the thermometer over her temple once more. The digital beep alerted them that her temperature was now 37.5, and Tessa sighed in relief. 

Tessa looked up at Scott, concern in her eyes. 

“Should we put her back in her pack and play?” He wondered, lightly tracing his fingers over Sam’s head. 

“I don’t know,” she shook her head, “I think I’d rather keep her in bed with us. I’d feel better about being in the same room with her.” 

“Okay,” Scott met her eyes, nodded easily. “Yeah. Come on, let’s get to bed, then.” 

Tessa moved to the mattress, carefully laid Sam between the two of them before nestling in beside her. Sam slept, eyelids fluttering as she dreamed. Her mouth worked instinctively on her pacifier, sucking even in her sleep. Just as Tessa had rested her head on the pillow, her cellphone’s ringtone sounded. Quickly, so as not to wake Sam, she twisted to answer it, pressing it to her ear. 

“Hello?” 

“Tess, oh my God, is everything okay?” Jordan sounded hysterical and out of breath. “What’s going on?” 

“Jordan, she’s-”

“Do I need to come get her? I can leave right now. In fact, I am leaving right now. I’ll be there in-”

“Jordan,” Tessa breathed her name. “Calm down. She’s fine. She’s asleep.”

“You called twice, Tess!” She sounded as if she were on the verge of tears, “I was scared to death. I thought she was sick, or something had happened-”

“She woke up with a little fever,” Tessa explained, though the irony of the way she’d panicked at the thermometer’s readout struck her as funny now. “I gave her some Tylenol and it went away. I called Mom and she talked me through it.” 

Jordan sighed softly on the other end of the line. 

“I don’t know… maybe I should still come pick her up. What if it comes back?” 

“If it comes back, you can take her to the doctor in the morning,” Tessa calmed her. “She’s sleeping soundly right now; I don’t want you to rush back for nothing. I promise I’ll call you back if it spikes again, okay?” 

Jordan hesitated before agreeing. 

“Okay, fine. But make sure you do. I’ll keep my phone on loud, okay?” 

“Okay,” Tessa agreed, eyeing the toddler as she slept. “But don’t worry. We’ve got it under control.” 

It had only taken a bit of panicking, a call to their mother, a reassuring word from Scott, but, yes, she felt as if the situation were under control. 

“Thanks, Tess. I love you,” Jordan breathed. 

“I love you, sis. Goodnight.” She disconnected the call, turned back to Scott, who was watching her. 

“She’s a little worried, huh?” 

Tessa laughed softly, propping herself on her elbow, using her other hand to trace gentle shapes over Sam’s tiny eyebrows, nose, lips. 

“I can’t say I blame her. This kid is pretty special.” 

Scott smiled at her, watched her for a long moment as she studied Sam’s sleeping form. She leaned in, pressed a soft kiss to the baby’s forehead. 

“Yeah, she’s definitely cooler. I guess that-”

Tessa looked up, catching Scotts eyes. A tiny smile played upon his lips. 

“What?” She asked quietly, unable to keep her own lips from curling up in the same way. 

“What’s that face?” He asked, his voice full of affection. 

“What face?” She crinkled her eyebrows at him, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“That face,” he repeated, reaching out to stroke the edge of her lip with his thumb. “That’s your _I-want-one_ face. I’ve seen it often enough to recognize it.” 

“My _I-want-one_ face?” Tessa scoffed, laughed, “What’s that mean?”

“It means exactly what it sounds like,” he pressed, “the face you make when you see something you want. I’ve seen you make it at shoes, chocolate… at me…” 

Tessa laughed, glancing down at Sam to be sure she hadn’t disturbed her. 

“What? That’s crazy.”

“Is it?” He tilted his head, smiling gently. “We’re married now.” 

“We’ve been married for a month!” She returned. 

“And?” 

“And so we’ve barely had time to settle down from the honeymoon. Don’t you think it’s a little too early to start thinking about babies?” She traced his face, watching his eyes. What reaction did she want from him? Did she want him to agree, to say that they had a long time before they could even start thinking about bringing a child into the world? Or did she want him to press her on this, to assure her that it was never too early to start planning for their family? She wasn’t sure herself. 

Scott watched her for another moment before shrugging easily. He looked toward Sam, smiled. 

“It does feel nice, doesn’t it?” She couldn’t stop herself from saying the words. “A baby nestled between us?” 

“Yeah,” he agreed softly, leaning in to kiss her lips tenderly. “It feels like the most natural thing in the world.” 

They slept soundly, Sam quiet and comfortable between them. Tessa woke early, studied the pair of Sam and Scott sound asleep. It felt right, seeing them like this. Her heart clenched a little at the sight, the slight curve of Sam’s nose, her tiny fingers as they curled.

Jordan and Charlie came to collect Sam later that morning, Jordan clutching her daughter to her chest and stroking her hair. 

She met Tessa’s eyes, pulled her into a tight hug, whispering her appreciation. 

“You’re going to be an amazing mom one day,” she grinned at her, tears in her eyes. “I can’t wait to see it.” 

Tessa and Scott watched them go, Scott’s arm rubbing comforting circles on her back. After their car had departed, she turned to him, her green eyes wide. 

“I said it was crazy last night,” she admitted softly, “when you accused me of wanting a baby.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, took her hands, intertwined their fingers. “And?” 

“And…” she was quiet for a moment. “I think you’re right, Scott. I think I want one.” 

He blinked, a mixture of joy and surprise marking his features. 

“Yeah?” 

Tessa nodded, suppressed a tiny smile. 

“What do you think?” 

He studied her face for a moment, shook his head slightly. 

“I think that, after last night, I’m more certain than ever that we’re going to make a great parenting team.” 

Tessa grinned, her eyes shining. 

“Do you think we’re ready?” She wondered, “It’s a big commitment. It’s so soon.” 

“It is soon,” he agreed, “but who’s saying it will happen right away? I mean, we haven’t been using protection for quite a while, and it hasn’t happened yet.” 

His words, as innocent as they were, struck a chord of concern within her. God, he was right. They hadn’t used condoms in over a year, and there had only been one month in which her period had been anywhere near late. She’d considered it good fortune at the time, but now that she thought more about it, she wondered what that might mean. 

Seeing the troubled expression that had crossed her face, Scott turned her chin up to him, catching her eyes with a smile. 

“Hey. We haven’t tried, you know? We’ve gotten two years of practice. That’s lucky, right?”

She forced a smile, nodded. 

“Yeah,” she agreed, “very lucky.”

Scott pressed a playful kiss to the tip of her nose.

“So…” he traced a finger up her hip, “since we were interrupted last night, maybe we could start right now?” 

The memory of him last night, achingly hard and not once complaining when she’d had to hurry to Sam’s side made her smile in quiet appreciation. 

“I think I owe you at least that much,” she pressed herself close to him. “You were such a good sport, me leaving you all high and dry like that.” 

“High, yes,” he smirked, “definitely not dry.”


	3. Tessa Wants What She Wants (And Scott Gives It To Her)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay. Life has been crazy. As most of you know, I've had the flu and I've been down for about a week. My computer also isn't charging, so this entire chapter was crafted on my phone. If there are grammatical errors, please excuse them. This chapter is mostly smut, sorry not sorry!

Tessa turned at the tinkling of the bell that indicated the door of the barre studio had opened. Her hands rested on the front counter, a smile spreading across her face as Scott came into view. 

In his arms, he held a paper bag and two bottles of water, shooting her a grin as he pressed his back against the glass door, a woman thanking him before slipping out onto the sidewalk. 

“What are you doing here?” Tessa laughed, moving to meet him in the hallway, taking the bottles of water from him and leaning in to catch his lips in a gentle kiss. “What’s this?” 

She eyed the brown paper bag in his arms. 

“Lunch,” he offered the bag to her, “I picked up sandwiches from the deli down the street. I wanted to surprise you. Have you eaten?”

“No,” Tessa beamed up at him. “My next class isn’t for about an hour, so I was about to head out to grab something. You read my mind.”

“One of my many talents,” Scott grinned, shooting an easy smile at the woman behind the front desk, her blonde hair pulled into a bun at the top of her head. “Hey, Lea.”

“Hi, Scott,” the other woman winked at him. “He’s definitely a keeper, Tess.”

Tessa smiled, dimples pressing into her cheeks. 

“Yeah, I’m starting to think I should keep him around for a bit,” she teased, “let’s eat in the studio. You good to cover the front, Lea?”

“I’m good,” she shooed Tessa away with a flick of her slender fingers. “Go have lunch with your husband.”

“Thanks,” Tessa laughed softly, tucking the chilled bottles of water into the crook of her arm and grabbing Scott’s hand with the other. “Come on, you.”

She led him through the hallway, her bare feet padding along the cool wooden floor. Pushing the studio door open, she stopped him just before he stepped into the room, eyeing his feet. 

“No shoes allowed,” she pointed out. He slipped out of his sneakers, tucked them into the corner of the door before stepping into the studio. Tessa turned, grinning at him, their faces reflecting from each surface of the mirrored room. Floor to ceiling, mirrors lined the walls, displaying each of their movements in a hypnotic 360-degree view. 

“I don’t know how you focus in here,” he shook his head, settling into the floor beside Tessa. “Watching every move you make like this.”

“It’s a barre studio,” she laughed, reaching into the paper bag to retrieve a wrapped sandwich. She peeled the paper back, making a face as she passed him the ham sandwich, digging back into the bag for her own. “I have to be able to see myself and all the girls in the class.”

At the rise in his eyebrows, she rolled her eyes, laughing. 

“Believe it or not, I can get through the class without staring at my own ass.”

“Well that’s why I could never take one of your classes,” he spoke around a mouthful of bread. “I’d be too busy staring at you to do anything else.”

Tessa smiled, her fingers pulling back the butcher’s paper to peel the pickle from where it was nestled beneath her sandwich. She brought it to her mouth and took a bite, watching him, bemused. 

“Did you go to the shop today?” She wondered, eyeing him as she chewed. 

“Just briefly,” he shook his head. “I actually fell back asleep after you left this morning. You wore me out, babe.”

With a shy grin, she felt her cheeks flush. She thought back to this morning, the sight of him sated beneath her as she’d slid from his lap, the warm wetness seeping from between her thighs. She’d woken him with a hand on his morning erection, stroking him until he’d been at his full height before slipping onto him, reveling as his head tilted back in pleasure. 

They’d taken every opportunity over the past few weeks to make love, him arching into her, spilling himself into her time after time in a furtive attempt to begin building their family. Tessa’s focus was single-minded, and though she enjoyed each moment of their coupling, the end goal was the same. She would push her hips into his, absorbing him as he spilled into her, rocking her hips to soak him in. 

That wasn’t to say their sex had become routine in any sense of the word. It was still exciting, still full of pleasure, even with the knowledge that they were working toward an objective. If anything, it made it that much more enjoyable; they were working toward something together, a mutual goal that brought back memories of the whirlwind romance they’d shared beneath the frozen stars at Lake Huron over two years ago. 

Then, they’d had to work together, however problematic that may have been at times, to convince her family that they were a couple, whether that was with a flirtatious glance or by simply holding hands. Now, their bodies moved together in a different way, rising and falling into one another in order to bring about the miracle of life. 

“Sorry about that,” she winked, hoping her voice conveyed the fact that she wasn’t actually sorry at all. “What can I say? You’re just irresistible.”

“Oh yeah?” He leaned forward, using his thumb to wipe a bit of mayonnaise from her lip. “Well I can’t say I mind. But, you might need to start resisting soon. Or at least picking a reasonable time to not resist.”

Tessa frowned, swallowed her food. 

“Why?”

He studied her for a moment, placed his sandwich back on its wrapper before clearing his throat. 

“Well, I’ve been putting in a lot of hours at the skate shop, you know? And I’ve been talking with my uncle about how we’re trying to start a family, and he-”

“Wait,” Tessa put her hand up, stilling him. “You told him we’re trying to get pregnant?”

She watched him with weary eyes, though she couldn’t say why. It wasn’t as if she’d asked him not to share the information with anyone, after all. Their wanting a baby wasn’t a secret, but she hadn’t even mentioned it to Jordan or her mother yet, and Scott’s uncle Paul being the first to know didn’t sit right with her. Though perhaps that said more about her than it did Scott. 

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “why not?”

And why not? She couldn’t put her finger on exactly why it was an issue at all. Paul was a good man, had been nothing but kind to her since she’d first been introduced to him all those months ago. 

“I just...” Tessa picked at her fingernails, green eyes lowered. “I guess I wasn’t ready to start sharing it yet? I mean, not until...”

Not until there were some sort of results, she reasoned. Not until they were successful? Not until her belly was swollen with the proof of their child’s life? 

Scott was still watching her, waiting for a response, so she let her shoulders slump. 

“It’s just early,” she shook her head. “What if it doesn’t happen for a while?”

“Okay, and what if it doesn’t?” Scott shrugged. “We’ll have fun trying.”

“Well, yeah,” Tessa nodded, “but your uncle will tell your aunt and your aunt will tell your mom, and your whole family will know we’re fucking like rabbits trying to make this happen.”

Scott coughed out a laugh. 

“Honey, honestly anybody who doesn’t expect newlyweds to fuck like rabbits is delusional.” He placed a gentle hand on her knee, drawing her attention. “And look at you. I couldn’t keep my hands off you if I tried.”

Tessa felt herself flush, the familiar tease of flirtation between them. The thought of Scott being unable to resist her was a welcome one, especially now, when their future depended on their ability to be intimate with one another, but she could see the way Scott’s eyebrows furrowed in consideration. 

“I’m sorry,” he sighed softly. “I should have spoken with you about it first. I didn’t realize we were keeping it quiet. I can call and ask him not to say anything.”

“No,” Tessa mused, shaking her head. “It’s okay. You have a right to share. I mean this impacts you, too.”

“It does,” Scott sighed. “And that’s actually the second part of my story. Uncle Paul knows we’re going to need a more regular income than the odd hours I’ve been working can provide, so he asked me if I wanted to take on one of the shops myself. You know, like a managerial position.”

Tessa gasped, her bright green eyes alight with excitement. 

“Oh, wow! That’s great, honey!” She leaned toward him, fingertips supporting her weight as she caught his lips in a sweet kiss. “Your first promotion!”

Scott’s cheeks went pink and he ran a hand over the back of his neck. 

“I mean it’s just my family’s skate shop...” 

“So what?” Tessa asked, “it’s still a big deal. You’ve been dedicating a lot of your time to them since you stopped...” she paused. Even now, two years after he’d given up the business, it felt odd to think that at one point he’d made his living by essentially dating other women. 

They’d eventually had to talk to about it, a few months after they were secure enough in their relationship to discuss the topic head-on. 

_How many women had he been with?_ She’d asked. 

_Professionally or personally?_ He’d wondered. 

_Sex is personal even if it’s professional_, she’d countered. 

He’d sighed, made a grand gesture of counting his fingers in an over exaggerated demonstration of mental math. 

_Scott!_ She’d laughed. He rolled his eyes playfully. 

_Through his work, three, including her_, he’d answered. And though the number was thankfully lower than she’d expected it to be, it still stung. He must have recognized the hurt on her face because he leaned in, kissed her gently. 

_Ask me how many women I’ve fallen in love with_, he’d whispered the words against her lips. 

Tessa had smiled. 

_How many?_

_One_, he’d responded. _Just you. Only ever you._

Now, with him seated on the floor in front of her, he raised his eyebrows. 

“Since I stopped escorting,” he took another bite of his sandwich. “You can say it, Tess. We may not have met otherwise. It’s not a dirty word.”

Tessa’s dark eyebrows went up. 

“You think I’m afraid of saying dirty words?” She teased him. 

He laughed, reached for the last bite of her pickle before dropping it in his mouth and crunching it. She scowled at him. 

“Anyway, it comes with a regular schedule and full-time benefits. Uncle Paul made it a point to say that includes six weeks of paid paternity leave.” He smiled gently at her. 

Tessa felt her lips curl into a gentle smile. 

“Yeah?” 

Scott nodded, reached out, brushed a dark swath of hair from her face. 

Tessa pulled a napkin from the paper sack that had held their lunches, wiping her hands. She’d taken only a few bites of her sandwich, but Scott had finished his and only crumbs remained on the paper. She collected the trash, stuffed it into the paper bag before looking back up at Scott through dark eyelashes. 

He’d uncrossed his legs, stretching them out before him, his long fingers spread out behind him as he leaned back. Tessa lifted her head, took a moment to study their reflection in the room of mirrors, each wall capturing a different angle. 

“What?” He asked after a moment, turning his head to catch her eyes in the reflective surfaces. 

Tessa glanced toward the door, the tiny window at the top of the entrance before looking back toward Scott and arching an eyebrow. 

“What?” He asked again, laughing. Tessa pursed her lips and his laughter quieted. “Wait, seriously?” He knew her well enough to no longer need words to confirm what she was thinking. The look on her face was enough for him and he straightened his posture. “Now?”

Tessa shrugged, moving closer to him. 

“Why not?”

Scott glanced behind him at the clock on the wall. 

“Your class starts in thirty minutes!”

“And?” She slid into his lap seamlessly, her arms going around his shoulders. “Are you planning to take that long?”

She lowered her lips to his neck, pressing a few soft kisses against the smooth skin there. She heard him sigh and shift beneath her, a hand moving to rest on her hip. 

“No, but...” 

“What are you afraid of?” She whispered the words into his ear. “Someone walking in and catching two very consenting and married adults in the act?”

He let out a heavy breath, already beginning to relax beneath her touch. She smiled against his skin. 

“There we go,” she encouraged him, “why don’t you just... enjoy the view?”

Scott’s head rose with a sharp intake of breath as she pulled back, beginning to grind her hips against his lap, making a satisfied noise in the back of her throat at his reaction. 

He wasn’t hard yet, had come here expecting nothing more than lunch and maybe a few stolen kisses, but she’d have no problem getting him there. As she rocked on his lap, she stared at her reflection, the way her fingers carded through his dark hair, her eyes narrowing as she felt the first twitch of his arousal beneath her. 

She moved with calculated precision, had long ago figured out what he liked best regarding foreplay, and used the curve of her pubic bone to bring his cock to life, giggling greedily as she felt the bulge growing in his pants. 

She could feel her wetness already, the familiar damp warmth in her panties, and reached between them, unzipping his jeans and taking his cock into her hand. She stroked him quickly a few times, her fingers wrapped around the velvety softness of him. He seemed to grow in her hand, the head of his cock dark pink as she tugged on him, her thumb tracing his slit. 

“God damn,” he groaned, turning his head to the side. Tessa glanced one more at the unguarded entrance to the room before looking to see what had caught his attention. He was watching them in the mirror, her hand pumping him into his full height. His cock twitched in her hand at the sight of it, almost voyeuristic in its nature. Tessa wanted to continue this way, let his roving eyes watch their reflection as he jerked him into her hand, watch as his hot come spattered onto her. 

He loved marking her up like that, studying the white droplets as they sprayed onto her fair skin, watching her chest or abdomen heave with each breath as his come caught the shine of the light. 

But she needed him inside her now, needed to feel him spurt into her, know that there was a chance that he was putting a baby inside her. 

Tugging her leggings down just past the curve of her ass, she guided Scott between her thighs, the warmth of his head pressing against her soaked entrance. He groaned at the feel of her, allowing his eyes to close for just a moment before fluttering back open, turning his head once more to watch their reflection. 

With her hand gripping his erection, she traced his head between the lips of her wet cunt, giggling from a mixture of entertainment and pleasure at the quiet wet sound they made. She hovered on his lap before lowering herself, the head of his cock slowly being enveloped by her tight wet heat. They cried out together, the musicality of their voices echoing in the mirrored room. The absence of furniture amplified their quiet groans of pleasure, and Tessa felt herself look once more toward the door to ensure no one had stumbled upon them. 

As the shaft of his cock slid into her, filling her and stretching her walls, the hand that wasn’t on Tessa’s hip moved to turn her face toward him. 

“Look at us,” he encouraged her, gesturing toward any of the mirrored walls. “Fuck yourself on me and watch it.”

Tessa let out a heavy sigh, nodding, as she felt Scott bottom out inside her. He hissed in pleasure at the sensation of being surrounded by her tight walls, Tessa steadying herself with her bare feet against the studio floor as she crouched above him. 

Using her core strength and the muscles in her thighs, she rose and fell on his lap, sighing sinfully each time her cunt swallowed him fully. Scott’s fingers curled against her hip, and she looked up to catch his eyes in the mirror to his left, his dark eyebrows furrowed with pleasure as he watched himself disappear inside her. 

“Fuck, Tess,” he whispered her name, shifted his hips in order to fuck up into her. “You look so good taking my cock.”

“Mmm,” Tessa whispered, her breath leaving her in heavy pants. “Feels good, too.”

“Yeah?” His hand traveled up her hip, to her chest. His fingers palmed her through her sports bra, his thumb finding her nipple and rubbing it until it pebbled beneath the thin fabric. She responded by rocking her hips against him in such a way that he somehow sunk deeper into her, both of them breathless with pleasure. 

“That thing you said earlier...” he gasped, eyes locked on hers in the mirror beside him, watching her brows furrow and lips part in pleasure. “About dirty words...”

Tessa used her position to rise fully from his lap, the head of his cock nearly slipping from her, before she slammed herself back onto him. 

“Oh?” She panted, wiggling her hips with him nestled fully within her. “You want me to talk dirty to you, Mr. Moir?”

“Fuck,” he groaned, turning both of them ever so slightly in order to study the dark pink of her throbbing cunt in the mirror. “Yes, please.”

“Please?” She stilled herself only momentarily on his lap, a desperate whimper escaping from him as he grasped her hips in an effort to help her rise and fall on him. “Well, since you asked nicely.”

Tessa leaned into him, her breath hot against his skin, her hips beginning a merciless rhythm against him, slamming his cock into her over and over again, the walls of her cunt fluttering with the pleasure of him inside her. 

“You’re going to come inside me,” she directed him, her voice low and husky with arousal. “I’m going to fuck you until you do. And I know you, Scott. It feels too damn good for you to resist. Look at us.” She drew his attention back to their reflection. “You see the way my cunt swallows you up like that? Do you have any fucking idea how wet you make me?”

It didn’t come naturally to her, dirty talk. She had to work at it, and even the words felt funny and foreign as they left her lips. She was an introvert, preferred to whimper and whine her way through sex, but something about Scott made spewing filthy words entirely more pleasurable. 

“I’m gonna come,” he announced suddenly, his voice barely above a whisper. “Fuck Tess I’m gonna come in you.”

“Please,” she begged, a hand slipping between her legs to circle her clit desperately. She could feel her muscles squeezing his shaft, gripping him in a way that made it somewhat more difficult for him to sink fully into her. 

“Come with me,” he pleaded, his voice breaking into a whine that caused the pleasure to unfold in her abdomen like a flower, a bud unfurling in the first days of spring. She called for him softly, her voice rising in pitch at the familiar feel of her building orgasm. 

“Tess, fuck-” Scott gasped, arching his hips into her as his cock pulsed within her, come drenching her walls as they tightened around him, gripping him, milking him dry. She curled her fingers against his shoulders as she came, yelping softly at the feel of his hands gripping her hips so tightly, holding her flush on his lap as he pumped his come into her, balls twitching with the force of his orgasm. Her body accepted the warm, pearly liquid greedily, rocking her hips against him even as she felt her orgasm begin to subside, felt him softening inside her. 

She kissed him, tugged at his dark hair with trembling fingers as she rose from his lap slowly, careful not to let his semen dribble from her, not to let it drip back onto his flaccid clock as she licked a palm, stroked him once, twice gently before tucking him back into his pants. 

Tessa pulled her own clothing back up, laid back on the floor of the studio. She grinned at him as she pushed her pelvis a few inches off the floor, tilting her hips at an odd angle. 

“What are you doing?” He laughed, reaching out to stroke her knee with a hand. His face was flushed, eyes dark with sated desire. 

“I’m trying to help guide your sperm to my egg,” she wiggled her hips. “I don’t want it all to run back out, and I have a class in...” she glanced toward the clock. “Fifteen minutes.”

“Then that’s my cue to go, eh?” He wondered softly. She smiled at him and he reached out, stroking her cheek with his fingers. 

He collected the remnants of their lunch, carefully wrapping Tessa’s sandwich back in the paper, folding it in such a way that it could be saved for later. 

She found herself watching the simple task, aching for the domesticity of the moment. She thought suddenly of watching him pack their children’s school lunches, peanut butter and jelly with the crusts removed. Adding an apple and a cup of yogurt to their lunchboxes, maybe even occasionally adding a handwritten note to remind them to be _vast and brilliant._

Okay, maybe that last bit was too much. More likely, Scott would sneak a brownie into their lunchboxes, wrapped in a napkin with the words _Don’t Tell Mom_ scrawled on it. 

Scott looked up, caught her watching him.

“What?” He wondered.

“Nothing,” she shook her head, her hips still canted in the air. “I just love you, that’s all.”

Scott smiled, his eyes crinkling with it. 

“I love you, too,” he pressed closer to her, caught her lips in a soft kiss. “Have a good class, eh? I’ll see you at home?”

Tessa nodded, watched him go. She watched the clock, waited for five more minutes to pass before she lowered her hips to the floor. Finally pushing herself to her feet, the studio door swung open and studio members began to file into the room, chatting casually to one another as they unpacked their yoga mats and slipped on their barre socks. 

One of the students caught her eye, grinning. 

“You look a little flushed,” she seemed concerned, “you feeling okay?” 

“I’m great,” Tessa nodded, “I’ve just been doing a little pre-workout workout.” 

The woman smiled, passed on her way to her spot on the floor. 

When the class finished, Tessa showered and changed, gathering her things to leave. There was a napkin stuffed into the top of her purse and she unfolded it carefully, recognizing Scott’s messy scrawl immediately. 

_I love you_, the words read. _Only ever you_.

Tessa smiled, pressed the napkin to her lips, placing a soft kiss upon the words.

She considered texting him, telling him she’d found the note, but she resisted the urge. 

Just then, in that moment, words weren’t enough to express her adoration of him.


	4. Tessa's Late, Just Not Late Enough

“Do you think we should see a doctor?” Tessa asked Scott one morning, rolling over to face him in the crisp white sheets of their bed. 

Scott looked up from his phone, distracted. 

“A doctor?” He lowered the device into his lap, his eyebrows furrowing. “Why, babe? Are you sick?” 

“What? No,” Tessa laughed, pushing herself up against his chest. “I mean about this fertility stuff.” 

Her face was bare and fresh, her skin pink with the promise of a new day. He stroked her cheek with his fingers, his thumb running along the ridge of her jaw. 

“No,” he shook his head. “We’ve got it covered. What could a doctor do?” 

“Well, they could help us track my ovulation for one,” she blinked at him. “An ultrasound, to check out the state of my ovaries. They could do a sperm count for you.” 

“Babe,” Scott said the word, “really? We’ve been trying for less than two months. Don’t you think this is a little overkill?” 

His voice was soft, empathetic, but something about his words bothered her. She frowned, watching as he returned his attention to the screen of his phone. 

“But we’ve been trying nonstop,” she offered, hoping he’d understand the dire outlook of their situation. “Don’t you think… I don’t know, something should have happened by now?” 

“Tess,” he sighed her name softly, locking his phone and placing it on his nightstand. “All good things take time. Anyway, aren’t you enjoying the journey? It’s not always about the destination.” 

Tessa blinked, pushed herself up on an elbow. Her fingers traced invisible lines on his bare chest as she spoke. 

“Well, no, but… I mean, in this case, it kind of is, right?” Her words were quiet, uncertain. His hazel eyes studied her face, lips pressed into a soft line. “I mean, the destination is pregnancy. That’s the goal.” 

“Yeah,” he agreed, though he sounded almost reluctant, “but we’re having a lot of fun getting there, aren’t we?” 

Tessa dipped her head, offered him a soft smile. 

“Yeah. You’re right. I know you’re right. I just don’t get it. I mean, look at Jordan. She wasn’t even trying to get pregnant with Sam, it just happened.” 

Scott nodded. 

“And it’ll happen for us, okay?” He traced his hand along her side, the hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Don’t let that stress you out this weekend.” 

Tessa sighed, fell against his chest. His arms went around her, lips placing a reassuring kiss upon her head. 

“Are you going to miss me?” Tessa wondered, peering up at him from beneath the curtain of her dark lashes. 

“Of course I will,” he shrugged, “but this will be good for you, going away with Jordan for the weekend. It’ll help get your mind off things… maybe your body will have a chance to relax if I’m not trying to get inside you every chance I get.” 

Tessa laughed. 

“Wow, when you put it that way, it sounds super sexy.” 

Scott chuckled, leaning into her neck to nip at the skin there. 

“When I get home, then?” Tessa questioned. Scott arched an eyebrow at her in question. “We’ll start the ovulation stuff when I get home next week?” 

Scott pressed his lips together, the corners turning downward. 

“Tess…” he said her name quietly. She studied his face, his eyes. “I don’t think we need that.” 

Tessa saw a flash of something in his eyes; reluctance? Regret? She couldn’t place it; it made no sense in this context. He wanted a baby just as badly as she did, didn’t he? For the first time since she’d really gotten to know him, had fallen in love with him, she felt a sense of resentment settling within her chest. 

“It’s not going to hurt,” she shrugged, her voice soft. He seemed to sense the desperation in her words, a tiny smile pressing over his lips a moment later. Leaning into her, he caught her lips in a kiss. 

“You’re right,” he nodded, “it won’t hurt. If you want to start officially tracking your ovulation, and it’ll help us get pregnant, then you should.” 

Tessa sniffled, smiled at him. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Scott touched her chin gently. She smiled, turned her face into his touch. “So are you all packed?” 

“Mostly,” Tessa glanced toward the corner of their bedroom where her suitcase lay open, clothes folded neatly inside. “I’ve got a few things in the dryer. And I’ve been looking for my bikini, the black one? Have you seen it?” 

Scott smirked, his thumb brushing her hip. 

“I haven’t,” he murmured, “but I love that bikini on you. I like it better on the floor, though.” 

Tessa laughed, threw her leg over him, hooking him to pull her closer to him. She pressed a kiss to his neck, tasting the salt of his skin. He groaned, chuckling softly as she rocked her hips against him. 

“Come here, babe,” he whispered, pulling her on top of him, his hands grasping her hips as she perched on his lap, leaning down to catch his lips in a passionate kiss. 

“I have to leave soon,” she warned him, giggling softly. “Jordan’s picking me up in an hour and I’m not finished packing.” 

“I’ll be fast,” he promised, his fingers already finding the waistband of her panties in an attempt to slide them over her hips. “I’ll make you come so quick.” 

Tessa groaned softly, squirming on his lap. The action made Scott arch against her, lips pressing at her neck before nipping gently at the skin. 

“What about you?” She asked, her long, dark hair falling around her face as she looked down at him. 

“Don’t worry about me,” he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Just wanna make you feel good. I won’t have you all weekend. I’ll take care of myself later.” 

Tessa smirked at him, pushed herself into a sitting position on him, her palms flat against his chest. 

“I want you to wait.” 

Scott blinked at her, raised his eyebrows. 

“What?” 

“I want you to wait until I get home,” she rocked gently on his lap. “The longer you wait to get off, the higher your sperm count will be. I don’t want you to waste it.” 

Scott furrowed his eyebrows now, scoffing lightly. 

“That’s three days, babe.” 

“Yeah,” Tessa nodded, “and I’ll be waiting, too. You think I’m going to get myself off with Jordan in the room next to me?” 

Scott sighed, frowning. She leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips, watching as they curved into a reluctant smile. 

“You know I haven’t gone that long without an orgasm since I figured out what masturbation was,” he pretended to pout. 

Tessa raised her eyebrows, laughing. 

“Oh, poor baby,” she teased. “Well then I guess you’ll have a nice big gift for me when I come home on Sunday, huh?”

Scott made a displeased noise, his hand falling on her thigh. 

“Just think,” Tessa smirked at him. “If you get off before I get home, you could very well be wiping our future son or daughter up with that tissue.” 

Scott laughed, then, swearing softly under his breath. 

She pushed herself off of him, moved toward the washroom. Feeling his eyes on her, she pulled the loose t-shirt over her head, padding into the washroom to toss it in the laundry hamper. 

Wearing only her panties, she studied herself in the mirror before reaching for her brush and pulling it through her long, dark hair. She gathered the locks in a bun at the top of her head, securing the strands with a ponytail holder just as Scott appeared in the mirror behind her. His arms slid around her, hands moving to palm her breasts gently. 

She sighed contentedly and leaned into him. They shared a quiet moment, his hands curled around her breasts, pacing gentle kisses on her jaw as she tilted her head to allow him access. 

Her hands rose to grasp his, sliding them easily from her breasts to the flat expanse of her belly, fingers splayed over her navel. 

Tessa caught his eyes in the mirror, her green gaze clear and focused on him. 

“Will you still love me,” she whispered the words, “when my belly is big and round with our baby?” 

Scott’s smile flickered in the reflection. 

“Of course,” he assured her. 

“I won’t be able to bend over to tie my shoes,” she pressed on. 

“Then you can wear slippers everywhere you go,” he teased. “Or don’t wear any shoes at all. See if I care.” 

Tessa laughed, turning in his arms, her breasts pressed against his chest. His arms moved to enfold her, the warmth of his skin upon hers making her smile contentedly. 

“Just promise me one thing,” he entreated her. 

“Anything,” she breathed in response. 

“Promise me that, throughout this whole, one-track mind about fertility thing, you won’t forget about what’s really important? You won’t forget about us, our marriage?” 

Tessa pulled back to study his face, his hazel eyes searching hers beseechingly. 

“How could I ever?” She questioned, shaking her head. 

Once more, the expression on his face flickered. Tessa pressed herself close to him, squeezed her eyes shut as he held her close. 

She didn’t pretend to understand the concern in his features. 

\--

“So anyway, I tried it. I pretended the medicine was a juice box and redirected the straw into the little dosage cup,” Jordan laughed, “and it worked.” 

Tessa smiled softly, gaze focused on her sister. She nodded, eyelashes fluttering against her sunglasses as she adjusted herself on her beach chair. 

They had dragged a set of chairs down to the water’s edge, positioned them just beyond the reach of the tide. Sometimes when the waves rolled in, it lapped at their feet. Tessa watched as the bright red of her toenails sunk into the soft sand. 

“That’s cute,” Tessa admitted. “And I know you miss Sam, but you’ve been talking about her nonstop since we got here.” She adjusted her bikini top for minimum tan lines before sitting back in her chair. 

“Ugh you’re right,” Jordan groaned. “I’m sorry. I’m doing that annoying mom thing where I think everyone cares as much about her little idiosyncrasies as I do. I’ll stop.” 

“You know how much I adore her,” Tessa pointed out, “but this is supposed to be our break from responsibility. You know she’s safe with Charlie they’ll call if they need anything, so just let yourself relax, okay?” 

Jordan took a deep breath, exhaling through parted lips. She closed her eyes against the sun, stretched out her long legs. 

“You’re right,” she repeated, “I’m taking off my mom hat and replacing it with my carefree lake-cottage goer hat.” She opened her eyes, squinted at Tessa. Tessa caught her gaze and laughed, shaking her head. 

“What?” Jordan teased, “it’s a gradual transition. Anyway, distract me. How’s married life?” 

Tessa felt the corners of her lips turn up, her slim shoulders shrugging. 

“It’s good,” she mused. Jordan deadpanned, holding a hand out as if to ask for more. 

“Good?” She wiggled her fingers. “Come on, sis. You’re married to the hooker you brought to my wedding. I’m going to need more than that.” 

“He’s-” Tessa began to protest. 

“Yeah, yeah, not a hooker, I know,” Jordan rolled her eyes. “Even though he charged for sex, which is the literal definition of a hooker.” 

Tessa laughed once more, the heat of the afternoon sun warm against her skin.

“So, how is it?” Jordan studied her. 

“How’s what?” Tessa grinned, “The marriage or the sex?” 

“I don’t know,” Jordan shrugged. “Either. Both. Tell me everything.” 

“Well,” Tessa studied the clear water of the lake as it flowed over her feet. “Being married is great. Scott’s kind, patient. He makes breakfast in the morning and never complains when I have to run to work and leave him with the dishes.” She smiled. “He’s an amazing husband. Everything I thought he would be and more.” 

Jordan smiled, squinting into the sun. 

“And the sex?” 

Tessa laughed, felt her face flush beneath her sister’s gaze. 

“I don’t want to brag…” 

“Please brag,” Jordan groaned, “I have an almost-two-year old who doesn’t like to sleep in her own bed. I’m lucky if I get sex once a week at this point.” 

“Okay,” Tessa shrugged, her voice quiet. “It’s… incredible. We can’t keep our hands off each other. But you know how that is. You were a newlywed not too long ago yourself.” 

“I was,” Jordan sighed nostalgically, “but we were already pregnant at that point, so we had other things on our mind besides fucking like rabbits. Well, I did, anyway.” 

They laughed, Tessa wishing suddenly that Scott were beside her, his warm hand on her thigh. She ached for him, missed him in a way she hadn’t known she would. 

“What about you guys?” Jordan wondered. “Have you had the babies talk yet? Keeping Sam overnight when she was sick probably put him off that idea for a while, I guess?” 

Tessa smiled softly, turning to look at Jordan, her cheeks pink from the sun. 

“We’ve talked about it,” Tessa admitted quietly, “actually, keeping Sam that night was kind of what brought it up.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Mhm,” Tessa nodded. “And we’ve been… well, we haven’t been not trying.” 

Jordan gasped, her mouth falling open. 

“Oh my god, really? You’re trying to get pregnant?” Jordan squealed, clapped her hands. 

“Trying,” Tessa pointed out, “is the keyword. It’s been a couple of months, and… nothing.” 

“Well it doesn’t always happen right away,” Jordan offered. 

“I know,” Tessa responded, “but it just feels like something should have happened by now. I mean we’ve been going at it nonstop, not using any protection. I haven’t even been late.” 

Jordan studied Tessa, her mouth screwing up to the side. 

“Dumb question, but have you been tracking your period?” Jordan wondered. “Not that I should talk. I thought that’s what I was doing right before I found out I was pregnant with Sam. I guess I was off by a few days.” 

“I’ve been keeping it in my calendar,” Tessa tilted her head toward the house, indicating her cell phone. “I have the dates I’m set to start and stop. I guess it’s just one of those things that’s going to take time. God, it’s hard. I’m so impatient.” 

Jordan nodded in understanding. 

“It’s so worth it though, Tess. Once you see that beautiful baby for the first time, everything is worth it.” 

Tessa smiled softly at her, the ache in her heart growing at the idea of it. She wanted it so bad she could taste it, could actually see their newborn nestled safely in her arms, the healthy pink glow of their skin. 

“What about Scott?” Jordan asked, “Is he as committed to this as you are?”

Tessa looked across the lake, the sunlight reflecting from the water as it rippled. 

“I think so,” Tessa shrugged, “it seems like he really wants to be a dad. He’s just… he’s a little hesitant about the whole idea of getting a doctor involved. I guess I went too far by suggesting a sperm count.” 

“Oh,” Jordan breathed. “That’s rough. Nothing like questioning the effectiveness of a man’s sperm to make him defensive.” 

Tessa looked toward her sister, chewing on her lower lip. Jordan caught the worried expression on her face and laughed. 

“It’s going to happen,” Jordan reached for her hand, squeezing it. “And I better be the first one to know.” 

They stayed on the shore until the sun began to set, finally shuffling into the house, Tessa’s skin warm and pink from the sun. They ate dinner at the kitchen island, laughing over grilled salmon and Sauvignon blanc. Tessa had a small amount, sticking mostly to water, while Jordan poured herself a healthy glass of wine. Jordan relayed stories of the newest project she and Charlie were working on, a series of instructional classes geared toward teaching young children to ice skate. Tessa talked about the life she and Scott had settled into, one of daily grinds and the common stresses of married life. 

She and Scott were doing well, emotionally, financially. Her job kept them comfortable, his job gave them the flexibility to spend frivolously every now and then, though most of their recent excess funding had gone into the bank to prepare for their future child. They had made the possibly irresponsible decision to splurge on tickets to events that they’d agreed to attend together (Maple Leafs tickets for him, Hall and Oates for her) and cleared time for a date night at least twice a month. 

Her life with Scott wasn’t empty by any means; he provided her with more happiness and satisfaction in her life than she’d ever known. Still, she knew, just as she had the night Sam had been nestled in bed between them, that a part of her wouldn’t be complete until there was a child with her eyes and his dopey smile. She needed to cradle their baby in her arms, needed to hear Scott speak to their child with all the love and affection she knew he would. 

Before they retreated to their individual rooms for the night, Tessa and Jordan had made plans to take Sam to the Toronto Zoo in two weekends when Charlie would be out of town for a bachelor party. Sam had taken on a sudden and insatiable interest with giraffes and Jordan wanted to capitalize on it. As Tessa scrolled through the calendar in her phone to mark the date, she noticed the small dot beneath the current date and selected it. 

The event was labeled with a simple P, and immediately Tessa knew what the letter symbolized. Her period. It had been scheduled to begin today, she was sure of it. 

Jordan noticed her attention as she focused on the phone and she called her name, but Tessa didn’t respond. She sat for a moment in an attempt to determine whether she felt symptoms of her period. There were no cramps, no bloating. Clutching her phone in her hand, she rushed to the washroom, shutting the door behind her before she tugged her shorts down, studying her underwear for any trace of reddish-brown stains. 

She lowered herself onto the toilet, studying the fabric. It was clean, no sign of her shedding womb, and she felt something stir within her lower belly. Unlocking her phone, she checked the date once more. It was still there, the P, still alerting her that her period was due. Yet, there was no sign of it. 

She sat for a long moment, the phone buzzing in her hand as she received a text from Scott. 

_Miss you_, the text read. _Hope you’re having fun. Call me before bed?_

She could envision him on their couch, a hockey game on TV. She wished desperately that she were with him now, that he could share in this excitement and uncertainty of this moment with her, but was she overreacting? Was there any reason to be this excited? Just because her period hadn’t started on the exact day it was meant to didn’t mean she was pregnant. But it also didn’t mean she wasn’t pregnant. 

She cursed herself for not packing a pregnancy test in her luggage, but why would she have? She’d had no symptoms, no reason to believe that she was already pregnant, but now she wished she’d planned ahead. 

She sat for another moment, debating how to respond to Scott’s text, and a moment later she heard Jordan’s hesitant voice beyond the door. 

“Tess?” She sounded far away, but she couldn’t be further than the hall beyond the door. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Tessa answered too quickly. “I’ll be out in a minute.” 

She heard Jordan’s footsteps retreat, stood and tugged her pants up before washing her hands. When she emerged from the washroom, Jordan was settled on the couch in the family room. She caught Tessa’s eyes, eyebrows going up expectantly. 

“You good?” 

“Uh, yeah,” Tessa nodded, “I’m just… I think I’m gonna head up to bed. I’ll see you in the morning?” 

Jordan watched her, blinking. 

“All right. Goodnight.” 

“Night,” Tessa offered her a smile before darting from the family room and up the stairs to her bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, she moved to the bed, tucking her legs beneath her. She stared at the lock screen on her phone; a selfie of her and Scott from the Maple Leafs game, both of them donning jerseys and wide grins. She navigated back to his text, chewed on her thumbnail for a moment before swiping to the phone app and selecting his name. 

She held the phone to her ear, listening as it rang once, twice before he answered. 

“Hey, you,” she could hear the smile in his voice, “how’s my beautiful wife?”

She smiled, feeling the flush as it spread through her chest. 

“Missing you,” she admitted, thinking only of that P in her calendar. “What are you up to?” 

“Watching the game,” he responded, and she smiled at the consistency of it all. “Leafs are down and my girlfriend isn’t answering her phone.”

“Ha,” Tessa faked a laugh, listening as he chuckled along with her. “You’re hilarious.” 

“Well, there had to be a reason you married me,” he teased. “You’re way out of my league.” 

“Once again, hilarious,” Tessa rolled her eyes. “Are you behaving yourself?” 

“Yes ma’am,” he sighed, “and what about you? Are you and Jordan up to no good?” 

“Always,” she smiled into the phone, using her fingernail to scratch gently at the exposed skin on her knee. She wanted so badly to tell him about her period, or lack thereof. She wanted to hear the excitement in his voice, wanted to share this moment with him, but what if she was mistaken? Would it be wise to get this excited over something she couldn’t be absolutely certain of? 

Ultimately, she decided not to share the information with him. 

She spent the rest of the weekend in a daze, half of her mind with Jordan and the other half thinking about her missing period. Each moment that passed, she began to doubt herself less. Her body wasn’t portraying any of the telltale signs of her period, there was nothing that led her to believe that it would appear at any moment. 

By the time she returned home, her period still hadn’t started. It was two days after the day she’d tracked it to begin, and she knew it would be easy enough to look back at the previous month to determine if the date was correct, but something stopped her. There was a paralyzing fear that she’d gotten it wrong, that as soon as she checked the previous month to realize that she was a few days off, her flow would begin and her dreams of pregnancy would be shattered. 

Scott caught her in his arms at the front door, lifting her in a move that could have rivaled anything Charlie and Jordan had done on the ice. He caught her lips in a passionate kiss, joy unfolding in her belly at being reunited with him, at the secret she felt unfurling within her. 

It didn’t take them long to make it to the bedroom, discarding clothes as they went. By the time they’d actually gotten to the bed, the only article of clothing between them was her underwear, which Scott quickly disposed of. 

There were breathless whispers between them, a gasp from her as he pushed into her. She was already slick, wet from anticipation, she supposed, and Scott groaned at the feeling of her wrapped around him. He thrust into her, need and urgency driving both of them, her fingers grasping at the hair curling at the base of his neck, head thrown back in pleasure. 

He pressed wet kisses against her neck, hips pushed against hers as he sheathed himself inside her. They were so desperate for one another, mere days of no physical contact turning them into lascivious versions of themselves as they took what they needed from each other. 

It didn’t take Scott long; a few enthusiastic thrusts and he was spilling into her, groaning her name as he twitched inside of her. It was obvious he had waited for her, his climax lengthier than usual. She could feel the warm wetness painting her walls, knew that they were making a mess between them as they clutched one another with carnal desire. 

It wasn’t until after he’d brought her to orgasm, her muscles clenching and releasing around him, that he slid from her, panting. He kissed her, nestled into her neck as Tessa shifted her hips. She could feel the wetness between her legs, but there was something different about it. It was sticky, almost tacky against her skin, but Scott didn’t seem to notice. She sat up, tried to see in the darkness, as they’d failed to turn on any lights in their hurry to get to bed.

“Scott?” She asked, earning a half-interested noise from him as she touched her inner thigh with a finger, the smell immediately recognizable. 

Blood. 

She bolted from the bed, pushing into the washroom and flicking on the light switch. The smell of blood was suddenly overwhelming, her heart sinking as the first cramp seized her belly. Lowering herself onto the toilet, she looked between her legs, too stricken by the sight of the blood to react. She heard Scott shift in the bed, and then a quiet “Tess?” as he undoubtedly discovered what she already had. 

“Oh, God,” she grabbed for toilet paper, dabbing at her thighs before dropping it into the toilet. Scott appeared in the washroom doorway, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sight of her before looking down at himself. 

“Oh, God. Tess, are you okay?” He moved to her, reaching for her, but she was already shaking her head. 

“My period,” she gasped, tears rising in her throat, “I thought… I didn’t know it was…”

“Oh,” he sounded empathetic now as he moved toward the shower, turning on the water. “It’s okay, babe. Come on, we can wash up together.” 

She raised her face to him, her chin trembling. His eyes were soft, a misunderstanding smile on his lips. He thought the reason for her tears was because of her humiliation, had no way to know that it was because for two days, she’d allowed herself to believe that her body had been growing their unborn child. The disappointment was too much, the shame and embarrassment of her foolishness stung like a slap in the face. 

She allowed Scott to guide her into the shower, his lips pressing gentle kisses against her shoulder as the water cascaded down their bodies, washing away the proof of menstruation. She watched the water swirl before slipping down the drain, leaning her head against Scott’s chest as a tear slid down her cheek. 

She cried silently beneath the steady stream of the shower, and Scott was never the wiser.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear, I fear we're starting to get to the problem. A little angst, or, as my dear friend puts it, some pre-fluff.


	5. Tessa Doesn't Wanna Wait (For Her Life to Be Over)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect to update this tonight, either. I've been writing this off and on for the past month, I wasn't sure if I would continue writing, but it seems, at least for the time being, that I have some inspiration left. This is part 1 of 2.

“How accurate are these things, anyway?” Scott asked, eyeing the small plastic stick as Tessa perched on the closed toilet seat, watching it. 

“Ninety-nine percent,” she peered up at him. “It predicts a surge in hormones when ovulation occurs. And there’s a very limited window of prime baby-making time.” 

“How limited?” Scott looked concerned suddenly. “Minutes? Hours?” 

“Days, usually,” Tessa laughed. “Or a day. Nothing is an exact science, unfortunately.” 

Scott made a noncommittal noise beside her, already stripped to a t-shirt and boxers. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame. Tessa wondered about the subliminal body language he possessed, wanted to ask if he realized that crossed arms and legs were a self-preservation technique that expressed to others that he wished to withdraw from the situation. Instead, she pursed her lips and remained silent. 

“It’s okay,” she glanced toward him, “go and ahead and get into bed. I’ll be in in a minute.”

He straightened himself, blinked. 

“You don’t want me…” his eyes indicated the test where it sat in a cup of her urine. 

“I’m fine,” she shook her head. “It’s not a pregnancy test. Just an ovulation tracker.” 

Scott hesitated, looking uncertain, but a quick flick of her fingers sent him into their bedroom. She listened as he pulled back the covers on their king-sized bed and slid beneath the crisp sheets. Her eyes glued to the stick, his voice called to her. 

“What time’s the party tomorrow?” 

Tessa barely glanced toward the sound of his words. 

“What party?” Two minutes left until the results. 

“Uh,” he sounded surprised, “Poppy’s birthday party?” 

The words caused her to blink, drawing her attention toward him. 

“Oh, shit. Is that tomorrow?” 

“Is tomorrow the fifteenth?” 

Tessa’s eyes darted to her phone, the date just below the large numbers displaying the time on the lock screen. 

“I totally forgot. I don’t even have a gift for her.”

Tessa rose from the toilet lid, moving to stand in the doorway of the washroom. She watched Scott as he looked up at her, breaking his gaze from the television. 

“We could stop at the store on the way there,” he offered. “There’s a toy store not too far from that party place. They’ll wrap the gifts and everything.” 

Tessa nodded, offered him a small smile. She moved into the bedroom, leaning over him to catch his lips gently. His hand lifted to trace her hip, a small noise of contentment slipping from him. 

“What would I do without you?” She wondered aloud, her eyes sparkling with love for him. 

He wrinkled his nose at her in an affectionate smile. 

“You’d probably be dating some gorgeous guy and sunbathing on a beach in Cancun right now,” he teased. “But unfortunately for you, you chose to marry me instead, and I have no plans of letting you go.” 

“Never let me go,” Tessa kept his eyes, carding her fingers through his dark hair. “Promise me.” 

His smile softened, thumb stroking her skin. 

“Trust me, you don’t need to worry about that.” 

She leaned in to kiss him once more, the alarm of her phone sounding just before she met his lips. Pushing herself away from him, she hurried into the washroom and pulled the stick from the cup of her urine, her eyes reading the results. She gripped the test, appearing in the doorway once more and waving the stick, catching Scott’s attention. 

“Tomorrow’s our lucky day,” she blew him an air kiss. 

Scott sat up a little straighter, placed the television remote control on the bed beside him. He motioned for her and she bounded to the bed, discarding the test on his bedside table before Scott pulled her onto his lap, one leg on either side of him. 

His fingers found her sides and he began to tickle her gently, causing her to squeal and squirm astride him. She tossed her head back, the dark waves of her hair cascading against her shoulders as she playfully batted at his chest, begging him for mercy 

“Scott! Stop!” She squealed, and with a soft chuckle, his fingers came to rest on her outer thighs, stroking the smooth skin there as she looked down at him. 

“Tess,” he smiled, his head pressing back against the pillow, “I love you. I love you more than anything. You know that, don’t you?” 

Tessa could sense the hesitance in his voice, quirking an eyebrow at him. 

“Yeah, I know,” she nodded, “I love you, too. What’s wrong?” 

Scott blinked up at her, his front teeth tugging at his lower lip. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” he shook his head. 

“Scott,” she said his name evenly. “I know you. I know when you’re telling me the truth, and for whatever reason, you’re not doing it right now.” 

He studied her for another moment as she looked down at him. His mouth was set in a firm line, and slowly, she felt the smile fading from her own. 

“What?” 

He opened his mouth to protest and then sighed. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” 

“Do… what?” She wondered. 

He took a quiet breath before speaking. 

“This… getting pregnant. Are you sure?” 

There was a hint of something in his voice, though she couldn’t quite place its source. Was it jealousy? Doubt? Fear? 

“What do you mean?” She slid from his lap, suddenly no longer feeling playful. “We’ve talked about this. We’ve been trying for months.” 

“Yeah, I know,” he began, but she didn’t wait for him to finish. 

“So where is this coming from?” She demanded. 

She forced herself to bite her tongue, remiss to throw any suggestions his way. She didn’t want to give him the opportunity to latch onto one of the flimsy excuses she proposed; she needed to know where this doubt had been hiding and what she needed to do to quell it. 

“It’s just…” he appeared almost fearful, his eyes as wide and dark as a scared child’s. “It’s been a few months. Maybe it’s not the right time. We could wait a while. We’re still young, and-”

“Wait?” She balked at him. “We aren’t that young! I’m already thirty-two. I have a time limit, unlike you.” 

“Yeah, Tess, I know, but-”

“But you’ve changed your mind?” She challenged him. “You don’t want to have a family with me?” 

The words hurt more than she had expected them to. Saying them aloud, the sudden fear rushed over her like a tidal wave, threatening to destroy her and everything she and Scott had built over the past two years. 

He sighed, running a hand over his face. 

“No, I didn’t change my mind. I still want a family with you, Tess.” He paused, and when he spoke again, she could hear the emotion in his voice. “All I want is a family with you.” 

“Then let’s do it!” She suggested, her hand falling upon his thigh. “Tomorrow is our open ovulation window. We’ll make an appearance at the party, hurry home, and spend the rest of the day in bed.” Her fingers curled on his leg. “By this time tomorrow, you might have already put a baby inside me.” 

She kept her voice light and cheerful despite the growing frustration she felt. She pressed herself close beside him. 

“What do you say?” 

Scott studied her, his lips curving into a soft smile. He took her hands, brought them to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss upon the back of her hand. 

“Tess…” his voice sounded pained, and his eyes fell away from her. “I can’t.” 

Tessa laughed softly before realizing the somber look on his face. 

“What do you mean you can’t? Of course you can.” 

“No,” he shook his head. “You’re right. I can, but… what if I don’t want to?” 

“You don’t want to have sex with me?” She couldn’t hide the hurt in her voice. 

“No!” His hand went up, “Of course I want to have sex with you. I love you. You’re my wife. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world. What I’m saying is… what if… I don’t want to have a baby right now?” 

Tessa had never considered herself dull-witted, hadn’t thought of herself as slow to catch on or easily confused, but listening to Scott was like watching a monotonous tennis match. Back and forth, back and forth. Her brain felt dizzy from his words. 

“Why are you so dead-set on waiting?” She demanded. “A couple of months ago, you were as ready as I was.” 

“I know,” he reached for her hand once more. “But I… I mean, would it be the worst thing in the world to wait a little longer? To have a little more time as newlyweds before we’re cancelling our date nights and having our sex interrupted by a crying baby? I mean, God, Tess, right now we could literally stay in bed all weekend if we wanted.” 

To further his point, he slid his hand up her neck, fingertips gently brushing her jaw. 

“You can come as loud as you want. You always say how good it feels when you don’t have to hold back.” 

Despite herself, Tessa felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She dipped her head. Of course it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have more time alone with her husband. Two years ago, she hadn’t even been sure she’d wanted kids, and now it seemed to be the thought that dominated her mind. Where had the rush come from? 

She thought of Sam’s sweet face, the way it felt to hold her. She thought of the fulfillment of having her tiny body curled against her chest, the satisfaction in feeling her sleep between her and Scott in their bed. 

Yep, that was where it had come from. 

“So, what?” Tessa asked. “Are you saying we should stop trying?” 

She tried to keep the disappointment from her voice, but Scott saw it in her eyes. 

“No,” he reasoned evenly. “Maybe just… stop hyper-fixating on it.”

Tessa nodded dumbly, forced a smile. 

She settled onto the bed beside him, suddenly feeling desperately lonely. He squeezed her hand encouragingly. She had so many questions. She couldn’t understand why he had suddenly seemed to become so against the idea of something he had been so excited for just days prior. 

But then, she thought, had he been excited like she had? Yes, of course he had indulged her and participated in the process itself, but had he ever expressed the same level of excitement she had? 

Even in the beginning, it was she who dominated the conversations of future plans. She suddenly wondered if the idea of wanting a child so badly had skewed his vision of her. 

But, maybe Scott was right. Maybe it would be nice to spend a little more time getting to know each other before becoming parents together. A few more games of strip twister definitely wouldn’t hurt. And when there was a child involved, they couldn’t do frivolous things like splurge on concert tickets or walk around the house blissfully naked after an impromptu fuck. Hell, fucking would be out altogether, at least until Tessa had healed from the delivery and they had mastered the art of the quickie. 

Scott had a point, she realized begrudgingly, and opened her mouth to say so when he spoke first. 

“Let’s get a dog.” 

Tessa turned to him, half-smiling. 

“What, you mean when we have kids?” 

“No, not when we have kids,” he shook his head. “Now. Like this weekend. We could go to the shelter. Dogs are great. You love dogs. It’ll get your mind off this whole pregnancy thing.” 

“This pregnancy thing?” She could feel the flush growing in her cheeks. “So now you’re trying to appease me wanting a baby by getting me a dog?” 

“What? No,” he cried, as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world. “Not appease you. But, you know, we could get a dog, and then in a few years, we can revisit this baby thing.” 

“A few years?” Tessa’s voice rose. “Scott, I assumed you meant a few months. I’m not waiting years. And you love kids! Why in the hell are you acting like me being pregnant is going to be the end of the world?” 

“Tess,” he pleaded. 

“I’ve been wracking my brain for weeks, Scott, and I still can’t figure it out. Each time the topic comes up, you either withdraw or act like a child about it, and I need to know if there’s something bothering you.” She could feel the heat in her face, the racing of her heart. She felt embarrassed to be exposed like this before him, her heart on her sleeve. 

He sat silently for a moment. 

“Maybe I just want to get to know my wife a little better.” 

Tessa shook her head. 

“Don’t you remember that day at the lake?” She felt the emotion rising in her voice as she recalled the memory. The way he had touched her face, the softness in his voice. “I was upset because you didn’t know my birthday, or my favorite color. You told me-”

“That everything I needed to know about you, I already knew,” he finished the sentence for her. She looked up at him, her eyebrows raised. He smiled gently. “I wasn’t wrong.” 

Tessa wanted to smile. She wanted to fall into his arms and beg him to make love to her until they were both breathless and sated and her empty womb no longer ached. Still, the pain of his words resonated. 

“Scott…” 

He looked up at her, his eyes dark. His lips parted, then closed. She watched him swallow, her heart pounding as she observed him. 

“Talk to me. Please.” She reached out, her fingers brushing his thigh. “How are we supposed to start a family together if we can’t communicate? Whether that’s now, or in two years?” 

She knew Scott. She knew he wanted, no, needed, to say something, but there was a tension in his face that she couldn’t understand. She wanted to reach out and take him by the shoulders, shake him until the words spilled from his mouth. 

Scott pushed himself forward, pressed a quick kiss to her lips before laying down, turning his back to her. 

“Goodnight, Tess.” 

Tessa sat uncertainly, wanting to demand an explanation from him. She could feel the tension radiating from him like heat, but she couldn’t bring herself to press against his warm body the way she usually did each night as they drifted off to sleep. Instead, she turned her own back to him and curled onto her side. 

“I love you,” his voice sounded so far away, but the words sounded sincere. 

“Love you, too,” she mumbled, closing her eyes to prepare for sleep despite the racing of her heart. 

They had never gone to bed upset before, not since that night they had fought in their cottage at the lake house. That night, Tessa had been drunk, angry, and in pain. At least now she wasn’t drunk. 

She squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to convince the darkness to sweep her into a blissful state of sleep, and it had finally started to work when she heard the low register of Scott’s voice. 

“I just want to protect you,” he said. “You can’t imagine how painful it is.” 

In her sleep-deprived state, the words made little sense. By the time she woke the next morning, she had forgotten about them completely. 

The next morning should have been better. 

Over the past two years, there had been no issue that a night of sleep couldn’t solve. As she woke to the sight of him still curled on his side the next morning, however, she felt that resentment once more. He was facing her, at least, his face relaxed in sleep, eyelids fluttering with dreams. She wondered what he dreamt of; wondered if he even remembered his dreams. In their time together, she wasn’t sure he had ever recounted his dreams to her. It was little things like this that suddenly made her wonder how well she knew Scott at all.

She showered and dressed, was in the process of cleaning up her breakfast dishes by the time Scott appeared downstairs, his dark hair mussed from sleep. 

“Hey,” his voice was groggy and as he passed her to turn on the coffee maker, he brushed a kiss against her cheek. Despite the fact that she was still upset with him over his behavior the previous night, she felt herself turn into his touch, longed for his hands to grasp her hips, take her right there against the kitchen island. Even after the discussion they’d had last night, she couldn’t help but think of the fact that her body was currently preparing itself for a baby. Each moment that they weren’t engaged in intercourse seemed to be a moment wasted. “How’d you sleep?”

“Okay,” Tessa shrugged. There was so much she wanted to say to him, so many questions to which she needed answers. She felt as if she were staring at a stranger in her kitchen; this beautiful, unfamiliar man who carried her heart within him. 

“Scott…” she said his name softly. “I think we…” 

“Tess,” he looked up at her, his dark eyes wide and pleading. “I know we need to talk. I know I’m in the doghouse and I know I’m going to spend the next week giving you the best orgasms of your life, but can we please just wait until after I’ve had coffee and a shower?” 

Tessa watched him, unsure if she should be amused or offended by his candid demeanor. He kept her eyes, not looking away from her even as the steaming liquid dripped into the mug. 

Tessa leaned against the lip of the counter, watching him. 

“Two weeks,” she countered, smirking. The corners of his lips rose at her words, just as the coffee machine shut off. 

“Deal.” 

By the time he’d had his coffee and shower, they were running late for the party, and Jordan had already sent Tessa a series of desperate texts from the party place: _Where are you? Are you here yet? This place is creeping me out, and does Scott know there are people in costumes?_ For every motherly cell in Jordan’s body, she was not a fan of the child-centric lifestyle.

Tessa received the messages as they loaded themselves into the car, a smile reluctantly pressing across her lips at her sister’s words. 

“Shit,” she swore suddenly, watching the blur of trees as they pulled onto the highway. “We forgot to stop at the store. I don’t have a gift for Poppy.” 

“Oh,” Scott frowned sheepishly. “I totally forgot. Can’t you promise her a rain check?” 

“I’ll order her something online,” Tessa sighed, unlocking her phone and navigating to Amazon’s website. She scrolled through a list of the season’s most popular toys, selecting one before pausing, her finger hovering over the screen. 

“What?” Scott wondered, eyeing her from his spot in the driver’s seat. Tessa felt her face flush, a smirk curling the corners of her lips. 

“Kama Sutra workout,” she read the title of the book that the website had suggested at the bottom of the screen. “I guess the website tracked the fact that I bought the ovulation tests. It says ‘work hard, play harder with three-hundred sensual sexercises.’” She glanced up at him. “It might be worth looking into. Position has a lot to do with how sperm fertilizes the egg.” 

The words were out of her mouth before she’d had a chance to consider them. She looked down, frustrated with herself. Just last night, he had admonished her for wanting to get pregnant. She remembered the concerned look on his face, the worry in his words after they’d turned out the lights. 

“Or maybe we could just try something new,” she brightened suddenly. “I’m sure the book has all kinds of positions we’ve never tried. It might be fun. What do you think?” 

He turned his face to her slightly, giving her a soft smile. 

“It sounds incredible.” 

“Yeah?” She found herself returning his smile, clicking on the ‘Add to Cart’ button. 

Scott reached out, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. 

“I love you, Tessa.” 

The sincerity in his voice made her heart skip a beat, and despite the fact that she was still upset with him over the way he’d acted last night, she stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. 

“I love you, Scott. Oh.” 

“What?” He glanced toward her, surprised. 

“Jordan says there are mascots at the party place,” she wrinkled her nose. “I wasn’t going to tell you, because… well, because you were a jerk last night. I was kind of looking forward to seeing the abstract horror on your face when you saw them.” Despite herself, she laughed softly, teasingly. 

“Yeah, I guess I deserve that,” he said after a moment, and she watched the way his jaw clenched, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel. He hesitated briefly. “And… mascots? Do we really need to make an appearance at this party?” 

“Briefly,” she reminded him. “And try not to show fear in front of the children.” 

“Fear,” he scoffed the word. “I’m not scared of anything.” 

“Except mascots,” she pointed out, as the car coasted into the parking lot of the party’s location.

“Except mascots,” he agreed reluctantly.


End file.
